SUMMARY
- Tyrese Haliburton is known for being an exceptional playmaker with a broken jumpshot.
- The 2x All-Star claimed a traditional jump shot has never felt comfortable to work with.
Tyrese Haliburton is only in his fourth season in the NBA, but he has been making waves lately. His presence on the floor has become incredibly crucial for the Indiana Pacers. It is mostly because of his efforts that they stand amongst the top teams in the Eastern Conference. In all honestly, people probably won’t believe that he’s a former 12th-overall pick either. Impressively, he’s already had two All-Star selections in 2023 and 2024.
As the leader of the Pacers team, Haliburton has been averaging 21.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 11.6 assists per game during the 2023-24 season. He ranks second in the league in assists just behind the Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young. The point guard could finish as the season’s assists leader by the end of it. While his game may seem flawless, Haliburton has received a lot of criticism regarding his jump shot. The mechanics of his jump shot are quite unconventional, but it certainly helps him score better than the regular trick.
Tyrese Haliburton claims a traditional jumpers feel odd to him
We’ve seen people troll Tyrese Haliburton for his broken approach to shooting the ball. Even during the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, the Pacers superstar was made fun of by Tony Brothers on camera. However, Tyrese doesn’t pay heed to what people have to say as long as he’s comfortable with his form. “I used to think I’m not strong enough to get it there and shoot it over other guys. Well, it’s not that. It’s just mechanically, it doesn’t feel right,” he said, according to the Indy Star.
A perfect jump shot would require a follow-through that aligns with the basket and proper positioning of the ball before lift-off to achieve a longer range. While Haliburton’s jumper is far from what the ideal motion is, it has been extremely consistent. He has averaged 48.1% from the field, and 40.4% from deep since the start. He also shoots over 80% from the free-throw line. Haliburton has never averaged less than 45% from the field since joining the league.
Tyrese Haliburton defends his jump shot with a perfect comeback
Amidst all the criticism, Tyrese Haliburton had a savage comeback during a press conference held in 2023. He said, “This isn’t a video game, I don’t just press square and dude is just blocking me in my face. I don’t really buy into all the ‘What’s a pretty jumper, what’s an ugly jumper.’ I understand I gotta create separation and figure it out to get the jumper off.”
“This isn’t a video game, I don’t just press square… I don’t really buy into all the ‘what’s a pretty jumper, what’s an ugly jumper.'”
Tyrese Haliburton on his atypical shooting form 🙌
(via @NBA)pic.twitter.com/18KlSe08zO
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 18, 2023
He also added, “When Steph [Curry] came into the league they said that his jumper was unconventional. People see what Luka [Doncic] does, he’s too slow. I think as long as you put the time in. You know, have trust in it, the more you can build your faith in your jumper then the better. Ultimately, it’s what works for you.” Impressively, he has been able to back his words up as well. On an average of 6.1 attempts per game, Haliburton makes 2.5 three-pointers. He’s been averaging a career-high 3.1 makes on 7.8 attempts during the 2023-24 season.