Tyrese Haliburton has never been viewed as one of the top defensive players in the NBA, but at least one person with an All-Defensive Team vote believes he is. Even the Indiana Pacers star seems surprised by that.
The NBA on Tuesday announced the All-Defensive First and Second Teams. Haliburton was the only Pacers player to receive a vote, and it was a First Team nod.
After the voting was revealed, Haliburton shared a hilarious meme that essentially said “Who, me?”
https://t.co/SnBSOEhx53 pic.twitter.com/3KnaYH7wph
— Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22) May 9, 2023
That is exactly how most people reacted to Haliburton receiving a vote, so you have to give him credit for the self-awareness.
Haliburton is not at or near the top of any defensive rating chart you will find. He did average a double-double this season with 20.7 points and 10.4 assists per game this season, but he is known much more for his offense than his defense.
Of course, there always seems to be one person who has to do something to buck the trend when voting on accolades. We saw an even more egregious example of that with the NBA MVP voting.
