Least used player on the United States roster at the Olympics, Tyrese Haliburton has repeatedly made fun of the situation. Having barely recovered from his injury contracted during the playoffs, he has played more of a “cheerleader” role, and he was in the front row to witness the difficult victories against Serbia, then France.
“I never doubted that we were going to win, but the only time I felt a little uncomfortable was at the end of the third quarter against Serbia.” he confides. “They led the whole game, but I thought, ‘We’re going to win.’ Then our starters came back and got it down to -15 early in the fourth quarter. I thought, ‘With Jokic, something can happen.’ They got it down to -8 in a matter of two minutes, and I thought, ‘We’re going to be okay. We’re going to get through this.’”
Stephon Marbury would like to see him at the Suns…
The Pacers' point guard gets a little confused by the gaps, but it's true that the United States were trailing by 13 points at the start of the last quarter, and they will take the lead in the “money time” thanks to Stephen Curry. At the Olympics, Haliburton had also been approached by some teammates who would like to make him their point guard. “There are probably things that will come of this… They tried to recruit me but I won't budge!” he reveals, before being ironic about his own approaches. “I basically recruited them all! If anyone wants to come to Indiana, I’m all for it!”
On Wednesday, he added another layer after Stephon Marbury's comments. The former All-Star point guard believes that he would be the ideal player for the Suns. “They need a point guard who can score points, someone who can ignite the team and score points. Like Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers. He didn't play a lot in the Olympics this year, but if he gets stronger, he'll be unstoppable.”
Although touched by the compliment, Haliburton said he had no intention of going to Phoenix. “I'm not going anywhere… The Marbury comment is weird. Why does Phoenix need me? They have Tyus Jones. I'm happy in Indy, and everything is good in Phoenix.”
