Former NBA All-Star Jeff Teague thinks he knows exactly how to stop Tyrese Haliburton, and even told the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The point guard’s last few months have been remarkable. He went from being voted the most overrated player in the NBA to leading the Indiana Pacers to the finals.
Unfortunately, Haliburton suffered a calf injury in the Pacers’ Game 5 defeat, and it’s unclear whether he will play again this season.
But even when he is at his very best, putting up 25 points and 10 assists, Teague believes he can be stopped with one simple strategy.
Teague describes himself as a “basketball nerd” and is convinced he noticed something important while studying Haliburton’s game.
The former Atlanta Hawk explained that Haliburton’s offensive game is extremely predictable because he only wants to go to the right.
“I want to teach you something about the game, because I’m a basketball nerd,” he said on his podcast. “For the longest time, I’ve been saying Tyrese Haliburton doesn’t go left.
“I said it against the Cleveland Cavaliers. I even made a call to the Cavs and said, ‘Do you not realize he never goes left?’
“A bunch of people sent me this today and were like, ‘Teague, you’ve been saying this since series one and series two.’
“If you look at his shot attempts in these finals, he never goes to the left side of the court. You never see a left-handed layup.
“It is amazing that all the analysts who study the game still haven’t realized that all you’ve got to do is force him left.”
Teague added more context to his conversation with a Cavaliers coach during the Eastern Conference Semifinals, telling him how easy it would be to stop Haliburton.
“I’m not going to lie, I called one of the coaches from the Cavs, and I was like, ‘Look, this is how you can beat them.’
“And then I watched them switch every pick-and-roll and let him get to his right hand. I was like, ‘Are you not hearing me? Do you not understand?”
Haliburton averaged 17 points, five rebounds, and seven assists on 54 percent shooting from the field and 46 percent from three as the Pacers beat the Cavaliers in five games. Perhaps they should have listened to Teague’s advice.
Teague then compared Haliburton to Chris Paul. Of course, there is no shame in playing like a 12-time All-Star, but they both share the same weakness.
According to Teague, Paul also struggles to score or pass with his left hand, which makes him easier to defend if you are prepared.
“I’m not saying he’s not good, but I told you I studied him and Chris Paul. He and Chris Paul are very similar,” Teague explained. “So, when I was watching the Cleveland series, I was like, ‘You need to play him like we played Chris Paul.’
“I did all my film studies on Chris Paul when he was in the finals, and I know he never shoots left-handed layups. He only shoots threes going left, and it’s when you back up and go under a bunch of times, and he gets that one little pound dribble.
“He never shoots mid-rangers going left. Everything he does is a right-hand fade in the mid-range. He never goes all the way to the basket with his left hand.
“I was like, ‘Man, he has the same similarities as Chris Paul.’ They pass way better going right because they can get downhill and make that skip pass or whatever. They don’t pass really well with their left hands.”
