Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton not named an NBA All-Star starter

Haliburton will have to rely on coaches to be named an NBA All-Star

On Thursday, it was confirmed that Indiana Pacers starting point guard Tyrese Haliburton will not be a starter in the 2023 NBA All-Star game.

Haliburton, in just his third season, is having a wonderful campaign. He is averaging 20.2 points and a league-leading 10.2 assists per game for the Pacers this year, and the blue and gold are 22-18 when he plays. When he sits due to injury, the Pacers are a weak 2-8.

Instead of Haliburton, the backcourt players from the Eastern Conference who will be starting are Donovan Mitchell and Kyrie Irving. Mitchell and Irving are both in the top-13 in terms of points per game this season, and both of their teams have a top-five record in the East right now.

Haliburton ranked eighth in fan voting among Eastern Conference guards with just two days left in the voting process. Fan votes make up half of the weighted tally for naming All-Star starters, with the other half being split between a media vote and a player vote. Irving and Mitchell ranked first and second in fan voting totals, respectively.

In the final weighted tally, Haliburton was the fifth ranked guard in the Eastern Conference behind Irving, Mitchell, Jaylen Brown, and James Harden.

Tyrese Haliburton finished 5th in the final voting for Eastern Conference All-Star starters among guards. He finished 6th in player voting, 8th among fans, and 3rd within media votes.

Kyrie Irving, Donovan Mitchell, Jaylen Brown, and James Harden beat him out. pic.twitter.com/ec0Cwf5pLd

— Tony East (@TonyREast) January 27, 2023

Haliburton can still be named an All-Star reserve. The reserves are selected by NBA head coaches and will be announced on February 2 on TNT. The All-Star game itself is on February 19 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Haliburton has been attached to All-Star phrasing often this season, both thanks to his play and thanks to off-court narratives. Off the court, MSG Network analyst and former NBA player Wally Szczerbiak called Haliburton, "Mr. supposed, wannabe, fake All-Star," in late December, which fueled Haliburton's campaign. The Pacers point guard brushed past the comments and instead let his game do the talking — between the night Szczerbiak discussed Haliburton's All-Star candidacy and the night Indiana's star went down with an injury, Haliburton averaged 22.0 points and 9.0 assists per game while Indiana went 8-3.

"Great young leader, great for the team the way he just takes over games," Pacers wing Kendall Brown said of Haliburton earlier this week. He shared that he thought Haliburton was worthy of being an All-Star starter. "You can just see that he's got it."

Perhaps the strongest argument in favor of Haliburton's All-Star candidacy is how poorly the Pacers have played since his injury earlier this month. The blue and gold have gone 1-8 since Haliburton hurt his left knee and elbow against the New York Knicks, and at the time the team was 23-18. They have struggled to adjust without him, though Haliburton hopes to return soon.

Haliburton has never been named an NBA All-Star. The Pacers have had at least one All-Star in nine of the last 11 seasons, and they will find out if that streak continues next Thursday.

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