"Haliburton is crab dribbling around" - Doc Rivers' son picks Hornets' $260 million star over Tyrese Haliburton as more skilled guard
While Tyrese Haliburton is a two-time All-Star, Olympic gold medalist and the NBA's 2024 assist leader, Austin Rivers thinks Hornets star LaMelo Ball is a more skilled player.
Ahead of Friday's game between Haliburton's Pacers and Ball's Hornets, Rivers compared the two young guards during the latest episode of his "Offguard Podcast."
During the episode, Rivers asked his co-host if he would rather have Tyrese Haliburton on his team or LaMelo Ball.
As Rivers went on to explain, although Haliburton's resume gives him the edge, he feels Ball's ability to create his own shot is what makes him a more skilled player.
Of course, in addition to the fact that Haliburton has an Olympic gold medal, the biggest difference between the two is the playoff success Indiana has had compared to the Hornets. While Haliburton has more individual accolades, Austin Rivers made the case for Ball:
"He can't get his shot off because he doesn't have like a bag where he has like hesi pull-ups and stuff. You get any other elite guard on an island with a big. He's going to size you up, hang, dribble, hesi-three, hesi pull-up, stop on a dime, pull back. Whatever the case may be, Haliburton is crab-dribbling around.
"He like goes side to side, doesn't have handles like that needs a pick, comes off, do a pump fake, up and under three. It's like, 'What the hell is that?'"
Comparing Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton and Hornets star LaMelo Ball's stats through the early portion of the 2024-25 season
Last season, LaMelo Ball played in just 22 games as he dealt with a fractured ankle that required him to undergo surgery. On the other hand, Tyrese Haliburton played 69 of a possible 82 games, leading the Indiana Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2014.
This year, however, both players have been active through the early stretch of the season. In the case of Haliburton, he and the Pacers have played in six games this year, posting a 2-4 record.
Over an average of 34.3 minutes per game, Haliburton has averaged 14.0 points, 7.3 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game along with 1.2 steals per game. At the same time, he's also shooting a career-low 33.7% from the field, as well as a career-low 24.0% from downtown.
LaMelo Ball is averaging a comparable 33.4 mpg. However, he is averaging 29.0 ppg, 6.4 apg and 5.2 rpg along with 1.2 spg. In addition, he's shooting a career-high 44.9% from the floor, and 38.7% from downtown, his best average since the 2021-22 season, where he played a career-high 75 games.
With the Hornets currently ranked ninth, and the Pacers currently ranked 11th in the East, the two teams could wind up battling it out in the NBA Play-In Tournament at the end of the season.