In less than four seasons, Tyrese Haliburton has turned the Pacers organization around. Not only has he become a perennial All-Star and the face of the franchise for years to come, but he has also led them to their first NBA Finals since 2000. But despite Haliburton standing just three wins away from lifting his first Larry O’Brien trophy, many in the hoop community are having a hard time putting the ‘superstar’ tag on him. Ex-NBA champion Stephen Jackson knows exactly why!

Addressing the issue on All The Smoke podcast, Jackson said, “I really feel like if you’re the leader of your team and you’re playing the best, you are a superstar. Now granted, he didn’t win the Eastern Conference Finals MVP, right? He didn’t… A lot of nights, Siakam has been the best player. A lot of nights, he’s been the leader of that team on both ends of the floor.”

Although Tyrese has hit three pivotal game winners during this playoff run along with a game tying buzzer beater against the Knicks, his overall numbers have not been very impressive. He is averaging only 18.4 points, lower than his co-star Pascal Siakam. During the Knicks series, Siakam averaged 24.8 points, bagging the East Finals MVP. That’s why it’s difficult to put the superstar tag on Tyrese when there might be a better player on his team.

Another reason fuelling the doubts is Haliburton’s inconsistency. “With him, he not playing with a sense of urgency, one. He’s just going with the flow… I just think his sense of urgency needs to pick up because he averaging 4 turnovers a game. That’s unlike him. He’s not at a 20-point average. He’s averaging 5 and 5 with assists and rebounds, stuff like that. That ain’t good enough.” Jackson remarked.

In the first two Finals games against OKC, Hali looked like a shell of himself. He scored just 14 points in the series opener, which was fortunately overshadowed by his epic game winner. Then, he struggled again on Sunday, finishing with just 17 points on 7 of 13 shooting. Not what you expect from a generational superstar. Moreover, Jackson believes these issues could come back to haunt the Pacers.

Stephen Jackson fears OKC could turn series around against Tyrese Haliburton and Co. after Game 2 win

After revealing the issue disrupting Tyrese’s superstar status, Jackson claimed that winning the championship this year would clear all doubts, “I think if he’s able to win this championship and pull that off, I think that’ll solidify it.” Even his co-host Vernon Maxwell agreed. But now that the series is tied, beating OKC three more times will not be easy.

Sure enough, Jackson knows it as well, “They didn’t go in there with that sense of urgency. Against a good team like that, they get that one win, this s— can turn. It could be over before it starts Max.” Yes, Thunder have been the best team in the league all year, cumulating 68 regular season wins and continuing their dominance throughout the playoffs. While facing a team this lethal, there is zero margin for error.

However, Pacers getting blown out in Game 2 might have been the edge OKC needed to bounce back in this series. Sure, Haliburton and Co. still have the advantage as the series is heading to Indiana for the next two games, but Thunder are a team that can beat the odds and win on the road. Moreover, the way Pacers lost on Sunday could really impact their confidence, as Maxwell remarked, “It looked bad last night. They ain’t really try to play in the 4th quarter. It was like they just gave up man. This s— look bad.”

This is the perfect opportunity for Haliburton to silence the critics by putting on solid performances and leading his team to victory in Indiana. That would surely solidify his superstar status. Do you agree?