Indiana Pacers Media Availability | January 29, 2024

Indiana Pacers Media Availability | January 29, 2024

Ter full participant today what I was able to yeah yeah um he uh he scrimmaged with the a group of guys before practice started today was more of a walkthrough type practice for the guys that have been playing so um he did about a 20 minute scrimmage

With uh with some uh some of the low minute guys and some of the interns and and did well so um you know if if all goes well if he feels good tomorrow then tomorrow’s in the picture do you feel like you learned a lot about this team and some of the

Other guys in the couple weeks that he was out and what you guys had to do differently I most of all learn learned how good he is that’s and these other guys have done a great job and uh you know they’ve gotten better they’ve learned they’ve worked through different things every everything from

Injury to being thrust into higher levels of responsibility um but they’ve done they’ve all done extremely well and um assuming assuming that things go well and he feels well tomorrow um it’ll it’ll be great to have him back on the floor what um you you’ve obviously spent

A lot of that time kind of experimenting with lineups just to figure out how everything work was Pascal I mean do you kind of see that situation continuing when you read TI the mix it’s still about figuring out combinations of what works is that do you kind of view that

As a continu yeah um but Tyrese is one of those players that when he’s when he’s on the floor things are going to work better MH you know just by nature and so uh that’s another important reason MH um to have him back and so uh but you know Pascal

Is you know we’ve learned a lot about him he’s learned a lot about us um you know last three games in particular we’ve looked to involve him more get him more touches get him more playmaking opportunities he’s responded extremely well and um you know we we’ll keep

Looking at it is there anything you learned about him you didn’t know already I mean obviously you faced him you knew how good he was you always basically anytime you talked about him or fac him we talked about how good he was and is there anything that you’ve

Found by working with him closely I’ve been a long time ad my of his from afar but having worked with him for a little over a week he’s a better player than I even thought how did uh M back react he uh he he went through what we

Did today he’s he’s going in the right direction so he’ll probably be questionable tomorrow uh Ty will probably be questionable tomorrow um who else TJ TJ’s right there yeah he he he’s he’s back he’s unless he gets an illness or something right so yeah we asked tyres about 65 wi threshold do you

Have any strong feelings on that for the awards and everything else it’s it’s going to be a topic of conversation um know they’re there are many highlevel players that are going to going to be close to the threshold and um and you know the other thing about this is

That when you get to the inseason tournament finals and you play a game that doesn’t count as a game played that’s a serious conversation too so you know we’ll see where it all ends up with with with all these guys Tyrese included um but in all honesty those were those

Are the topics sure how do you feel about it uh I’m excited for him it’s an exciting moment for for him and his family and uh yeah I’m locked in I’m watching all the games so really excited to see him doing what he’s doing hey sir

How are you feeling now how’s the HST stream you think to be able to play soon how’s all that right now uh yeah I mean the the plan is to play tomorrow for me uh see how I feel in the morning when I wake up and that’ll kind of dictate that

Answer uh but I I mean I I feel feel good I’m ready to go and uh yeah I think that the medical staff has done a good job you know preparing me to get back and uh hopefully I’m ready to go tomorrow where where did you watch the ners game yesterday

With uh so I had to take my girlfriend to her bir I didn’t have to I took my girlfriend to dinner for her birthday on Tuesday and uh just had my phone up next to next to me at the restaurant and then I watched like the uh majority of the

Third and four sport at uh at my house how do what’s the most memorable moment you have with Brock from back in your college days um I think just the uh I mean we spent a lot of time together like on the bus going back and forth

Between like class and uh to the facility like the facility and the parking lot for where you park get on the bus like right next to each other so just like conversations through that and then we would meet with Coach Campbell on like a bi bi-weekly basis and um over

Go over a book that we were reading together um um so I think just those conversations about leadership stuff like that U but yeah it’s no surprise to see what he’s doing for people that know him and uh really excited what was the book you were reading you

Know I know it I know it and that’s why I partially I wasn’t going to tell that cuz I I couldn’t remember what’s it about at least uh like leadership and different leadership styles um I’ll find the name for you after this uh cuz

College is a little bit ago but it was a good book it was a good book you guys meet F class or well like when you’re freshman the only people on campus in the summer are like the football team the basketball team volleyball team gymnastics uh so I think like we had you

Had to do like athlete courses and stuff in the summer so through stuff like that and then I just kind of knew him as like the kid who had the Alabama offer so I knew he was like probably nice uh then kind of just struck a relationship from

There and then you know I think our our Journeys were kind of similar in our freshman year you know he wasn’t he was the third string to start the year and you know starting by the third game and you know I came in expected the red

Shirt and starting by game two so I think that you know the majority of cyclone fans had a had a um idea that we were going to be part of you know the sports uh Sports programs moving forward so I think that we kind of related on

That know you guys are taking the buses so this is pre nil obviously pre I mean I I still think if nil was a thing we still got to get on the bus they don’t let you take your car through the middle of Campus so yeah no it would have

Mattered the game was it was your H hurting you in that game what was the responding part that went wrong for this week now you didn’t play yeah I think that um throughout the game I think there was some you know some soreness or whatever and to my knowledge I couldn’t

Make it worse by playing so um you know I just kept kept playing whatever and my body just didn’t react the way I wanted it to U I was hurting pretty bad after the game so uh we did I just kind of uh get back to kind of square one of of

Attacking it again and figuring out what we could do better and uh just maintaining that plan moving forward does Allstar starter mean more to you than nonstarter from last year how does it s feel compared experience yeah it’s it’s a really cool moment for me especially with it being in Indi and

Being able to represent not only this organization but the people who support the Pacers as well uh so I’m really excited about that uh it just shows I’m taking another step in the right right direction for my career and uh like I said it’s just really exciting moment

For me and feel like I you know it’s not possible without you know the success that we’ve had as a team this year and I’ve always said like you know team success leads the individual success and um so that’s a big part of me being able

To get to where I am and uh yeah it’s really exciting for me and my family where do you feel like you and Brock have something in Common that’s good question I I don’t want to say like well I would just say like we like expectations for us from the general public wasn’t super high and like I’m saying that as a as a lottery pick you know what I mean like I that’s how I I

Came in but you know what I mean yeah I came into school not really expecting to play so I think just two guys who have beat the odds and um excelled in in both their careers so I think we can relate on that note um just to I think the

Biggest thing I think that people enjoy is that just two people really love our University like I think that’s a big part of it Iowa State’s not a university that has a lot of professional success on uh the NBA in the NBA or the NFL uh relative to you know other other power

Schools so uh it’s cool to see us kind of both doing our thing and um I think that’s what you know gets gets uh fans of our University excited have you texted him yet or yeah for sure but I don’t know when I’ll get a text back

He’s probably roll up right now but yeah we we text back and forth pretty pretty regularly so uh when he when he gets back to me he will I think you guys are off on Super Bowl Sunday I’m not mistaken is that correct the 11 really

Yeah yeah wow nice what are you you where we going to be uh New York New York and then we travel to Charlotte okay yeah so I mean I watch it in my room no I I can’t be around too many people they be hating so I gotta uh I

Gotta be by myself that one when you think back to that time with you guys on the bus freshman year you’re now an All-Star starter he’s playing the Super Bowl how crazy is that to think about yeah life is uh Works in funny ways sometimes it’s crazy that we’re both

Where we are and I think if you ask either of us we could imagine where we are today um and I think that’s the the exciting part about the cool part about life is that you just continue to evolve and as long as you put your head down

And do the work anything is possible so I think that that that’s that’s probably the coolest part for us did you guys just run into each other on campus or to have you gone out had a meal together uh we spent some time together yeah eating

And stuff like that but a lot of times it was just through camp and stuff cuz like guys are busy like there’s a lot of stuff going on we were supposed to get dinner last year in San Fran I was hurt but he was just getting the starting job

So he thought he probably should dive into the Playbook uh more to go to dinner so I’m sure when if if he’s still uh in San Fran when we travel out there this year uh hopefully we can you know catch up get get a bite to eat or

Something is there any Trash Talk between who’s better no no we both want it we’re not in the same sport so we don’t have to do that we just want to see each other can you hoop huh Can you hoop not to my knowledge not to all football players think they can hoop

Though you know what I mean so I I bet he probably thinks that but um want to ask go back on allar but also Team USA first off you mentioned representing just what do you view as kind of I guess your responsibility I guess when it’s

Here and you’re a starter I guess when you’re become kind of a central piece to this whole thing number one and number two what did it what it mean just to be on that Team USA just that first list uh to come out just to know that you’re in

The first wave of consideration yeah I think that through the first part I mean responsibility you know I think I just got to represent myself the right way carry myself the right way like I always do and um you know obviously understand when I step outside my house going

Anywhere I don’t represent myself but this organization as well so just doing that the right way um and also having fun at the allstar game putting on a show like doing what I do and like that’s what I do on a nightly basis so I’m sure being around other Allstars

Isn’t going to it’s definitely not going to make me not do that proba make me do it more you know so that’s the fun part about it um and then as far as the USA stuff um I’ve said time and time again like it means a lot to me to represent

Our country and uh to play in those games so you know I think that’s kind of the first step to be in that pool and um you know I don’t know when the the final team gets announced or whatever uh but hope I mean I’m hoping that I can be on

That team and uh um you know continue to represent my country I want to be part of the uh the youth movement that’s kind of going obviously you see a lot of the names on there this is probably their last Olympics I mean I hope not I hope

Katie and those guys play forever but uh you know I don’t I don’t that’s probably not likely you know so um that’s probably the exciting part is you know if I am able to make that team be around other great pick their brains and stuff like that and get to spend time together

Um also I was on the USA team this year and you know we didn’t do what we wanted to do so to to be on the team this year uh and carry that responsibility for another year I think uh we meet a lot and kind of just get say I don’t know if

Revenge is the right word but yeah that’s probably it just you know to do do the right thing and uh and and do what we’re supposed to do when you wear USA and chest and that’s when couple more couple more uh just um imagine you thought you were going to get this one

Obviously 65 game roll with all NBA is that something that’s on your mind as you’re thinking about coming back and obviously with what it connects to as far as your contract well yeah I mean I’m human like you guys I use the internet as well I I completely understand it uh and I

Understand what’s at stake for me financially as well uh but at then day it’s also like I got to take care of my body to the best of my ability and uh put myself in the right situation so yeah I know I don’t have a ton of games

Left um you I think it’s a stupid rule like many guys in the league but uh I mean this is what the owners want so as players we got to do our job and um you know playing 65 games if if we’re able to so that’s what I got to do take care

Of my body to be able to play in those games I think that you’re seeing other players in the league kind of face the same thing so uh as long as that the owners are happy TNT tomorrow you talked about looking forward to this game before this season now you had the n

Season tournament on national TV but does it feel the same do you still have the same eagerness level for this one yeah for sure for sure I think there’s still uh juice to it I’m excited to be on TNT anytime you get on national TV I’m sure like Boston doesn’t care they

On TNT every night uh you know but I think that that’s the the fun part about it is just being a able to you know more more eyes on on our team cuz what like Ro H said like people don’t watch us play so uh I think that it’s uh it’ll be

Cool for us to get on the national scale and play on on a big stage but that’s kind of just comes with winning I’m sure going into next year we’re going to have a ton more games on on national TV just because of the product we put on the

Floor so uh yeah there’s still juice to it still exciting and that’s a team that I mean obviously I got hurt against last time but we’re two and two on on the season I don’t know if any team has really won a season series against them

So there would be some extra juice for that for us and uh we’re playing well right now so that that we just want to keep that going how do we how do we make the allstar game a little more competitive like basketball well I think that’s what the

NBA’s uh mission is this year right they have went back to the east west forat um and uh they had a they met with every team they met with every team they met with every team before the season started kind of about the significance behind you know being more

Competitive and that and like but I also got to say like people have to be realistic like like he said I got to play 65 games like he’s got to play 65 games I’m 23 so don’t worry about me I’ll be all right but I mean these other

Guys that got to get to that get to that game like I mean if you were in their shoes would you take it serious if you had play that’s what I’m saying so it’s hard it’s hard to watch for sure for sure so I me I think the the pro balll is they

Went to what they play flag football now you know so it’s like we can only do so much I think people have to understand that and be realistic like uh if we had maybe I don’t I don’t know there’s not really a way I think that you’ve seen there’s been All-Star

Games that are competitive and I also think there’s certain guys that like dictate it right like like the top guys dictate it a lot like you know Giannis he don’t ever not play hard you know what I mean so when he comes out and he plays hard I think other guys kind of

Respond to that I think that’s kind of how it works but he didn’t play last year you know so but I mean I didn’t care about how hard we played last year I was just excited to be there so that didn’t matter to me but I understand

From a general fans perspective how you want you know there to be more juice and more competitiveness throughout the game but you also got to understand there’s a lot of things on the table for us and like at the end of the day the All-Star

Game is not a bigger deal than winning a championship or competing in the playoffs so you got to take that into into account but also like it’s like you said I mean it’s a it’s a Showcase of great players in front of you know the

Best fans in the world on a uh you know in the best league so we got to represent ourselves and represent our organizations the right way uh but you know you got to take that with the Great

Rick Carlisle and Tyrese Haliburton speak with the media following practice on Monday.

0:00 – Rick Carlisle
4:11 – Tyrese Haliburton