In Iowa State fans’ favorite NBA playoff development since…(did Jeff Hornacek ever win a title?)…Tyrese Haliburton can no longer be called the NBA’s most overrated player. This is probably a happy moment for Pacers fans, too, but let’s focus on the real story: The Iowa State Cyclones, they who developed Tyrese Haliburton into the most lethal clutch performer in the sport.
If you missed this, good for you, but in March and April, the New York Times surveyed 158 active NBA players, asking questions like who the MVP should be, whether the season should be shorter, who’ll be the next “face of the league,” and who’s the most overrated player in the league. Notably, fewer players answered the “overrated” question than almost any other question. Among those who did, though, Tyrese Haliburton received the most votes. 13 of the 90 players who answered named Tyrese Haliburton the most overrated player in the league.
This isn’t very many players, and the Times didn’t report on anybody’s rationale. Maybe it was the level of competition in the Eastern Conference. Maybe it was a few teams with individual Haliburton beefs. Maybe players thought of him because he was the worst player on Team USA last Olympics, or at least the least-used player. Regardless, Tyrese Haliburton was named the most overrated.
Overrated, of course, is a funny word. When an individual uses it, it can make sense. If I say I think the Lions are overrated, that means something. But when a large group of people votes on over/underrated, the question is inherently flawed. The large group itself is what determines how a person or team is “rated.”
The Times survey fell somewhere in the middle. It was a survey, but with only 90 respondents to this question, it wasn’t an entirely meaningless exercise. Also, with only 13 of them picking Haliburton, “most overrated player” was a pretty misleading label to come out of the article. The instant that label was attached to Haliburton, Haliburton became underrated by a large swath of people. All because of 13 opinions out of 90.
I don’t know who the most overrated player is now. Rudy Gobert and Trae Young got nine and eight votes apiece, but I don’t remember the last time I heard an NBA talker sing either of their praises outside of single-game, almost–a–backhanded–compliment context. Most likely, the real answer is someone who isn’t thought of as a particularly good player but who doesn’t get as much criticism as others of their capacity. I’m more aware of Bulls and recent Bulls than I am of other players, so a few guys there come to mind, but Zach LaVine’s in a similar category to Gobert and Young vis-à-vis public opinion, and Nikola Vučević would be a fine piece on a different kind of team. Honestly, maybe it’s Victor Wembanyama? I hate to say that, because he’s so good and so easy to like, but he was only 73rd in the NBA this year in win shares per 48 minutes, lower than multiple guys his age. That stat isn’t infallible, but it’s easy to conflate how fun Wembanyama is and how good he will be with how good he is right now. Ironically, the biggest sign that Wembanyama isn’t overrated is if you’re agreeing with what I’m writing. Narratives flip quick, and none flips quicker than a good old over/underrated. In fact, is Tyrese Haliburton overrated now?? Because I haven’t seen anyone call him overrated in days.
Here’s two minutes of Haliburton hitting big shots. It’s a very small sample.
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