Haliburton shares how he used the overrated narrative to be a better player: "I've come to be the guy who just uses everything as fuel"

Haliburton shares how he used the overrated narrative to be a better player: “I’ve come to be the guy who just uses everything as fuel” originally appeared on Basketball Network.

Basketball’s greatest players were renowned for their sheer pettiness. They took whatever slight thrown their way — real or perceived — and used that to fuel their raging competitive fire and torch opponents on the hardwood. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and, to a certain degree, Steph Curry all had that edge, that chip on their shoulder that drove them to greatness.

But what about the young players in the league? Are there any who are built from the same cloth? The answer is yes, and one is All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers.

In an interview with Pat McAfee, Haliburton shared how he used the narrative that he was the most overrated player in the NBA draft to fuel his surge late this season. Despite the doubt and criticism thrown his way, Hali proved himself on the court with outstanding performances night after night.

Narrative motivated Tyrese further

According to an anonymous poll that “The Athletic” conducted amongst 90 NBA players, 14.4% of the players selected Haliburton as the “most overrated player.” While some players may have railed against the assessment, he just shrugged it off and used the sentiment to motivate him to play even better in the postseason.

And what a postseason it was for Tyrese. He not only proved the naysayers wrong but also established himself as one of the league’s best clutch performers. Haliburton sank one improbable game-winner after another in the postseason, including this remarkable one in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

“I think it came out towards the end of the season,” Tyrese shared. “I think it was pretty funny, like all my boys just joking with me about it, texting me all the time, just talking. And I’ve just, I’ve come to be the guy who just uses everything as fuel. So that was just like the fun within it.”

“I think as the playoffs were going on, that was more opportunities for my teammates to talk crazy to people and people who support me. So I think that was a great narrative that got added to what we were doing. I think that just added more fuel to the fire as a group,” he continued.

Pacers rallied behind their own

The Pacers were a steadfast and united team, always looking out for one another. So, when they heard what some NBA players had to say about their court general, they rallied together in his defense without hesitation.

“I think the cool part about our group was that everybody kind of received that as like an indictment on them as well,”Hali revealed. “Like my teammates, guys around me — like, ‘Okay, well if you think that guy is overrated and he’s one of our guys, what do you feel about us?’ I think, collectively, we all kind of shared that sentiment and felt that way. So that was just another thing for us to gather around with.”

Hali and the Pacers took that slight and ran with it all the way to the NBA Finals, where they fell short in Game 7, as Haliburton went down in the first quarter after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon. However, Indy proved how bad of an idea it was to criticize them, as they showed incredible resilience and determination throughout the playoffs.

Haliburton faces an extended layoff as he recovers from the Achilles injury. While he’s away from the spotlight, it may be best for other NBA guys to just keep their opinions to themselves. Hali and the Pacers appear to thrive on criticism, using it as motivation to defy expectations and prove their doubters wrong.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 28, 2025, where it first appeared.

Haliburton shares how he used the overrated narrative to be a better player: “I’ve come to be the guy who just uses everything as fuel”

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