Tyrese Haliburton Opens Up About This Wild Season and His Ultimate Pursuit of Winning in the NBA

We are very psyched to welcome in Tyrese Haliburton for the first time as an in-person guest on The Old Man and the Three. We get into so much with Tyrese and how he sees his season on The Indiana Pacers. Let’s get to it.

Topics include: JJ talks through the surging Golden State Warriors as they try to climb their way up the Western Conference ladder. Then Tyrese joins the show. He first talks about how he’s handling his new level of notoriety, then he and JJ talk through his comments on the NBA 65 Game rule and how it can be fixed. Then Tyrese gives us a play-by-play breakdown of what happened between the Indiana Pacers and The Milwaukee Bucks when Giannis Antetokounmpo got upset over the game ball. Then Tyrese talks about losing Buddy Hield and trading for Pascal Siakam. He also opens up about his head coach Rick Carlisle. Finally, Tyrese talks through what he’s hoping to get out of this season and why the NBA playoffs matters so much to him.

00:00 – Start of show
01:12 – JJ on joining the ESPN broadcast A-team
03:47 – JJ on the Warriors
11:23 – Tyrese joins the show
14:33 – Tyrese on fame
20:41 – Tyrese on on the 65 Game Rule
34:30 – The Giannis Ball
41:05 – Tyrese on Buddy Hield
49:25 – Pascal Siakam Trade

Subscribe to The Old Man and The Three podcast w/ JJ Redick (ESPN / First Take) and Tommy Alter YouTube channel today for more NBA analysis, player interviews and highlights.

#nba #indianapacers #tyresehaliburton

Welcome to the old man in the three with JJ reick and Tommy alter brought to you by 342 Productions this is episode 210 Tyrese halberton we have had Tyrese halberton on a number of times I recognize that he has been uh probably our most frequent correspondent someone

That we always love catching up with and getting his perspective on things both uh individually and around the NBA this was the first time that we ever sat down in person for a podcast interview with him uh he was at our studio in Brooklyn Friday night before playing the Knicks

The next day and I got to say it’s always better in person this was the best uh interview conversation we’ve had with Tyrese we touch on so much stuff uh including the 65 game rule uh lot of poignant thoughts on that from both uh him and I um there’s some beautiful X

And O talks in this uh we talk about Buddy Love buddy healed going to the Sixers and and sort of what that means for Tyrese and of course the new partnership with uh Pascal sakam and and some great stuff in there uh as well about Rick Carlile and his coaching

Style uh just a fantastic episode uh couple things before we get to Tyrese uh number one uh it was leaked earlier this week we are officially uh ESPN is officially announcing today that I am uh getting moved to the A Team to join Mike Breen and Doris Burke uh on the finals

Broadcast we will be calling the Conference Finals and the finals um a few things here uh number one wow what an honor I’m so grateful um I’m I’m I’m honored for a number of reasons I think the two that stick out the most for me is when you call a game when you

Commentate on the NBA you are part of the documentation of NBA history and I take that role and responsibility very seriously and the fact that I get to document this year’s NBA finals I’m thrilled uh second reason I’m so honored is that uh Mike and Doris are goats

These are Hall of Famers these are two people that I’ve known for uh 15 to 20 years each of them and getting to work alongside two people that I just admire so much uh is just an honor I it’s an honor I I I I hope you guys know this I

I think it comes across how passionate uh I am about the game of basketball and about the NBA um but I Al also hope you know how seriously I take this uh this is not something that I do on the side this podcast uh calling games first take

Stuff uh I am fully invested in all of this stuff on a daily basis and uh couldn’t be more Thro uh the other thing I wanted to say is I have immensely enjoyed uh my time so far so far with Ryan ruko and Richard Jefferson uh they

Those two guys have become two of my best friends um it has been a pleasure to work with them uh the last two NBA seasons and uh I’m sure I’ll work with them again someday very soon so uh just again thanks to ESPN for for this opportunity and and for everyone the

Higher ups Dave Roberts Jimmy pataro Burke uh you know Mike Breen Tim Corgan everybody uh that has faith in me that I can uh that I can be complimentary and and really uh an additive piece to uh what is our already an outstanding broadcast team in Mike Breen and dorb uh

All right before we get to Tyrese I got to hit our draftking Sportsbook segment lots of stuff can’t stop talking enough about the Western Conference and the playoff race uh you look at the standings right now Minnesota won last night 16 losses uh Clippers and Oklahoma

City both with 17 losses Denver with 18 losses little bit of Separation then Phoenix and New Orleans with 22 losses they’re in fifth and sixth just outside of the top six is Dallas and Sacramento with 23 and guess who’s guess who’s rising in the standings right now the

Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers Golden State with 25 losses um and the Lakers with 26 they’re right there in the hunt even just three games back for Golden State in the L column uh between before being in that top six and the Lakers four games back

In the L column from being in the top six how are they getting it done right now uh it’s really interesting I’ve said this all season long uh with regards to the LA Lakers uh can they defend at a high level and can they shoot threes

That is what would make them a really good basketball team they’re 5- one in their last six uh D’Angelo Russell with 22 points a game shooting 43% from three on almost 10 attempts Austin Reeves at 20 a game uh shooting 46% from three over the last six as a a team they are

Seventh in the NBA shooting the absolute you know what out of the ball at 39.1% number five offense number eight defense that is the winning formula uh making threes at a high level and defending uh one thing to note just I I wanted to before we get to the Warriors

One thing to note so for the season the Lakers are have the 19th best offense and the 14th best defense at 11 14.6 that’s their defensive rating and I saw something recently where a pundit said that Anthony Davis should be Player of the Year defensive player of the year

And it’s crazy but the Lakers have actually defended better with Anthony Davis on the bench than they have with him on the court just a fascinating random statistic I came across this morning his defensive rating is almost a point worse than their team rating hard towin defensive player of the year uh if

That’s the case with the Warriors you look look at the Warriors during their Dynasty during their 8-year run when they had Elite basketball teams how did they get it done everybody talks about the offense everybody talks about the shooting they always had an elite defense uh they’ve won five in a row

Over the last five games number one defense in the league you look now with Draymond Green back playing Center in the starting lineup you got Wiggins and kaminga on the wing kaminga who we’ve touched on a bunch who I’ve touched on a bunch uh on broadcast playing out of his

Mind the best basketball of his young career so far um that lineup that new starting lineup with Steph clay Wiggins kaminga green they’ve got a defensive rating it’s the second most used lineup uh for the Golden State Warriors they’ve got a defensive rating of 95.8 would be Far and Away the best

Defense in the NBA right so that to me is the key for them can they defend at an elite level and over the last five games they have done that uh last team I want to touch on uh a little bit in depth is just the Phoenix Suns who since

That Christmas Day loss to the Dallas Mavericks are 18- seven they’ve got the second best offense over the last 25 games the ninth best defense now Bradley Beal uh hamstring injury last night we don’t know how much time he will miss the numbers with Beal and the lineup

Durant Beal nurkic Booker Allen that Group 130 offensive rating just you cannot defend them because you cannot put two on the ball too much shooting now you sub out uh Eric Gordon for Bradley Beal and and that group also has uh great numbers their defensive rating is 1 102.7 and if

You look those are the first and second most used lineups for the Phoenix Suns when you talk about shortening the playoff rotation the top six for the Phoenix Suns are very formidable they absolutely should still be considered a Western Conference Championship Contender on draftking Sportsbook you

Look at the odds right now Denver and the Clippers have the two lowest odds Denver at plus 20 225 Clippers at plus 235 then it’s Phoenix at plus 750 Minnesota at plus 800 everyone else uh in that top 10 over a thousand OKC I think a little disrespected here uh

Fifth uh best odds at plus 1100 um just a fascinating conference down the stretch uh couple things to Just note about some of these teams that I I didn’t go in depth on uh and we’re going to spend some time by the way on Minnesota particularly in the

Coming weeks coming out of All-Star Break um and and what they’re doing uh both offensively and defensively and some maybe some unsung heroes that they have as to why there’s they’ve been so successful this year so I will spend some time on Minnesota in the coming

Weeks but I do want to note uh two things watch new orans and watch them continue to unleash Point Zion their halfcourt offense functions so much better when Zion brings the basketball up and they have Shooters around him really fascinating we saw when he was at

His best I think his best season was the year that I was there my second year there Stan Van gundy’s year we realized about you know eight to 10 games into the season hey let’s just have Zion bring the ball up and set screens for him with guards go screens slip screens

Uh try to get mismatches try to get two on the ball play out of that we had a lot of success and New Orleans is having success with that second team uh I know Tim and I mentioned this uh on Monday in the old man in the three things but uh

The Dallas Mavericks uh with PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford all of a sudden you look at their team if they’re healthy they have a pretty damn good playoff rotation and they have two absolute stars in Luca donic and Kyrie Irving and I feel like for the first

Time really in the Luca era they have a roster and the pieces around him that make a lot of sense so Dallas Mavericks uh Team to watch coming out of All-Star break again all these numbers uh presented by draftking Sportsbook this has been the draftking Sportsbook segment download the draftking

Sportsbook app now and use code JJ new customers who deposit $5 or more can get a no sweat bet up to $11,000 back in a bonus bet if your first bet loses only on draftking Sportsbook with code JJ the crown is yours gambling problem call 1 1800 Gambler or in West Virginia visit

Www.1 1800 gambler. net in New York call 8778 Hope and Y or text hope Andy 467 369 in Connecticut help is available for problem gambling call 8887895118 in Ontario one no sweat bet per new customer issued as one bonus bet based on amount of initial losing bet bonus

Bets expire 168 hours after issuance see dk.com promos for deposit wagering and eligibility restrictions terms and responsible gaming resources without further Ado let’s get to our guy Tyrese Alber what a blessing to have you here I I don’t even know the total amount of podcasts you’ve appeared on we’ve never

Done one in person this is a treat man this is a treat thank you for coming growing up in in Oshkosh Wisconsin what were Who were or what were some of your early style influences style influences my dad my dad’s number one for sure anybody from the area can

Speak to how my dad dresses I wanted to dress like my dad growing up he’s all like sweatsuits like yeah he’s got sweatsuits to this day probably from the 90s that are like you know matching top match and bottom put the matching shoes on so I always wanted to dress like that

Uh growing up and then I started to create my My Own Lane uh since then and uh that that has a lot to do with it but my dad definitely number one style icon for me do you uh do you have a stylist I do you he actually you’re his you’re his

All-time favorite player he told me that the other day okay yeah might have to hire him hire him he lives in Brooklyn by the way does your dad does your this is a weird question but does your dad have an IG he does have an IG does he

Post on it I don’t know if he posts on it he sends I don’t know if he knows exactly how to work Instagram because he’ll send like motivational DMS to to people he sends them to you bro this week this week I’m looking so I I check

Like my because you know I check my DMs once a month yeah and I’ll go through and look I’m be honest a lot of times when I check my DMs I’m looking for that blue check cuz it’s like sometimes Brands like golf Brands will reach out want to send you some gear or

Whatever so I’m like I always check for the blue check I get to the top and there’s John hurn and I’m like no [ __ ] way and so I click on it and I I click on the profile and it’s like one post and like you know 467 followers whatever it is

Like this guy sending me and it for sure it was a motivational post like motivational post Bible verses yes there was two there was a motivational post a Bible verse I really don’t think he I’ve never talked to him about it because he doesn’t send them to me or sometimes I

Get them but Jade gets them all the time and just like you know friends from college or like one of my friends from college her little brother like my dad sends him to I’m like Dad you couldn’t pick him out in a I just don’t think he

Knows what he’s doing it would just be an amazing burner if your dad has or if there’s someone fake account I felt honored I don’t know what L he loves JJ he does every single time yes every single time I see my dad has watched every single YouTube video with my name

Attached so like every day he goes on yeah so like not just like art podcast but he highlights any podcast I’ve been on like podcast P like I’ll walk in my house sometimes when he’s in town and he’s visiting and I’ll walk in from the

Game and I’ll go in the living room and he’s watching a podcast from with you guys from my rookie year or podcast p with me on it he’s he’ll watch him like a hundred times he’s becoming a real rock star he is he is yeah this uh

This uh attention and fame he’s he’s loving it a lot by the way how how would you sort of describe the evolution of your own celebrity I would say I’m like a a f list I mean no but no you know what I mean yeah like what do you you you were

An NBA player yeah you go to Indie you know you make the All-Star team last year you blow up at the beginning of the year you’re everybody’s favorite you’re everybody’s favorite those are my words yeah uh you’re number one in fan voting number one in player voting number one in media voting yeah

Yeah it’s cool it’s different it’s yeah know it’s different it is really cool cuz like I first came to NBA and I was in Sacramento I was like well you’ll never you know you’re in Sacramento it’s and then I got to Indiana it’s like yeah well it’s Indiana you’re not GNA get

You’ll never be the cool kid yeah yeah but I always say like I grew up in Wisconsin and the Bucks were never cool like nobody cared about the Bucks like Andrew bogot number one pick it wasn’t like a flashy pick you know and then Brandon Jennings came and it was it was

Cool to wear Bucks jerseys like me and Tyler hero we’d go to games and we’d wear our Brandon Jennings Jersey it was cool they were like green and red and then Giannis came and now they have one of the biggest players in the NBA and now players want to go play with them

And you know like dudes are taking pay cuts to play for the bucks they win championships so that’s my thing going to Indiana people like well you’ll never be able to bring to get people to want to come play with you uh but for me it

Was always like well if I’m good enough people will come play you know what I mean like that that’s a big part of it so uh I would just say Me growing up in Wisconsin I think has a lot to do with you know my mindset like it doesn’t

Matter where I’m at you’re not you’re on face up yeah yeah whoever I am what’s what’s what’s what’s like a public appearance for your own personal sort of pursuit grocery store I don’t know if you go to the grocery store uh go out to dinner go to the movies um I don’t know

If people still go to the mall I don’t know how this operates anymore but certainly you leave your house and go other places besides the practice facility in the arena yeah what’s that experience like in Indiana uh I get a lot of people want to come take pictures

Yeah yeah I get I get mobbed sometimes uh I don’t really go places I have a chef now like six days a week so I really only go out to dinner one day a week you’re investing in yourself man I am I am for you you got a stylist you

Got a chef did you get a personal driver yet I do not I do not drive myself security security uh we oh yeah Jo number one pick in the 95 draft Jo Smith The Legend uh but no uh I don’t really go places other than maybe a restaurant

Here and there don’t go to the mall no chance I’m going to the mall um what yeah I don’t even know what else there is to do we used to go to the mall in the NBA yeah no I believe that like on the road it was like what do you want to

Do yeah let’s go to the mall you know you know what’s cool my mom was just actually talking about this the other day when we were in Abu Dhabi this summer we went deep to the mall like me Jaylen Josh all of our families so jaylen’s got the newborns his mom’s dad

I got Jade mom and dad jaylen’s got his sister mom and dad like Josh has the newborns Josh Josh sorry we’re like 20 25 deep and I was like this is going to be a zoo but the people there were amazing I it’s just the culture there

But nobody came up to us we never get asked to take one picture like that was the first first time that’s happened in a long time and I was with two guys on the Knicks I thought for sure like we were going to get mobbed but no it was

What what about what about like New York la like uh it’s not has it changed at all yeah it it definitely has changed like if I go to a restaurant here in New York people are gonna like know who I am want to take a picture uh I live in LA

In the summer that happen sometimes definitely way different than it than it than it ever was before uh really I would probably say after after last season is when everything changed okay so reason I was asking because I feel like to some degree as like an outside Observer it felt like the inseason

Tournament run was like an inflection point for you did you feel that yeah yeah yeah I not just not just like do people want a picture with me but do you know what I mean in terms of like it was a Zeitgeist moment for you for sure 100%

100% that’s not a question I think my Instagram following like doubled yeah no after that everything kind of took off and I think that that you see my like people talk about me on ESPN and I was kind of like I’ve I don’t think I’ve ever even heard Stephen A say

My name before that you know remember I saw you yeah when I saw you I had done first take that morning yeah and then I was going to do NBA today and you had just finished your media scrum and I like I went over to you I was like hey

We were catching up but then I whispered in your ear I was like I was like dude it’s all we’re doing is talking about you like it’s like I’ve never I’ve been doing this this is my third year doing this like when to talking about a Pacers

Player this is [ __ ] weird yeah no I hear people say my name they I’ve never said my name even even right now like I think Stephen A had a little segment the other day about my comment on the 65 games I was like it’s different now when

You’re watching sports at home it’s so much better when you have a great sound system and now you can experience your favorite games like never before with the unbeatable sound of Sonos Arc you guys this thing rules the precise and immersive sound of DOL Atmos will make

You feel like you are in the arena you can really hear those feet squeak and the ball swish it’s awesome and when the TV is off you can stream music podcasts like this one audiobooks and more using the Sonos app Apple AirPlay 2 or your voice with Sonos voice control you all

Know I love Christopher Nolan movies the first time I watched tenet with the Sonos Arc my mind was blown with Sonos you can start with one speaker and expand your system over time everything works together over Wi-Fi so you can group speakers in different rooms and play music throughout your home so do

Yourself a favor and get your Sonos ARC today I have them in my home I love it we have them in our office I love it visit sonos.com to learn more we should go there let’s go there to Indie no we should go to the 65 games go yeah I like

I like when the guest brings up a topic okay okay um so my question actually around this because you you have commented on this and you said it was a [ __ ] role I’m sure there’s been some backlash from different people about that but my comment about my question

About this was was the General mindset about your first injury the first hamstring injury right because I’d talked to you about it right and I was like bro I’ve had a ton of hamstring injuries blah blah blah um wasn’t like giving you advice or anything I was just

Kind of providing context but did you feel like a sense of urgency to come back sooner than maybe yeah no question you did yeah what and then not not from like our medical staff but or for but like from like a $53 million incentive what like even I’m trying to think of

The games that I missed before that um in Boston I I got I got hurt right before he went to Boston I couldn’t play like a charlie horse and if it would have been one extra day we had a back toback if it would have been a back

Toback I would have played and then I got like the flu in Miami and couldn’t play the next day like I was throwing up um so those are the three games I missed and then once the minute I got hurt I think like you could see like I got

Carried off like I was really emotional because in that moment I was just thinking like damn it’s over you know what I mean like season’s probably over I went to take a step with my leg and my leg didn’t really lift up like it didn’t really move so I think in that moment

Like any player like you would just kind of panic um but after that it was just like kind of and then the MRI was like good results like our medical staff like these are the best results we could possibly get like was it grade two it

Was grade one it was grade one grade one yeah um and so I’m just like how how can I get back as fast as possible what’s the right the right way and then kind of after we traded for Pascal and I knew he was going to play in that Portland game

And that was kind of the game that we were eyeing like it was either that game or I don’t remember who he played after that but it was like that Portland game was where eyes run and as soon as the trade for Pascal went through I was kind

Of like damn not only is it the game of mine that’s the game of I’m playing like if Pascal’s coming I want to be a part of the first game like and the medical staff agreed like I was I felt good enough um and then after that like I

Played a certain amount of minutes and towards the end of the game I could feel my leg hurting like there was a play where Aaron went to flip the ball to me and I was going the other way and it went back court and when I bent to pick

Pick up the ball I was like oh this is not good um that night I like remember getting in the in the car going back to hotel and I like had to sit down and pick my leg up put it in the car like I couldn’t really lift it and so I was

Like oh this is not good and then it just that’s when like I think a lot of frustration boiled over because it was like I like I I thought I was ready to go for the Portland game and so did our medical staff everybody agreed um but I don’t

Think I if this was never the case I might have been like another week yeah maybe give it another game or two you know let me let me think more through this like let’s try to be 100% and even now with this whole I’ve had a minut

Restriction now for the last two weeks weeks and it’s what’s your what’s your is it 25 it’s changed I mean it started at 20 and then it’s ramped up and it’s been [ __ ] terrible like I’ve I hated it you know like I came back for the

Boston game and they were kind of beat they were beating us pretty bad first half we we’re like a third quarter team we got the game right back in the third and I was like oh I’m done like you know and that was very frustrating uh the New

York game same thing we had the lead and I got pulled right as we were kind of running away in the third quarter then they come back and win and then we tried to play the Kings game and they were like we’re not going to play you in the

First quarter whyin came off the bench by rookie year like the flow of it was just weird and so I think I’ve just been been frustrated by it completely but I understand where the league is coming from listen at the end day I’m a fan of basketball like everybody is we want

Best players to play um but realistically like we talked about earlier there’s only a couple of us that this is going to hurt that that this could hurt financially you know what I mean yeah well I guess there’s there’s two parts there so number one I think we

Can all agree the intent was good for sure and there’s naturally like I say this every time the NBA makes a new rule change about anything a new policy or whatever is like every time there’s a new salary cap thing I’m like love the intent there’s going to be

Unintended consequences with the new second apron there like I don’t I’m not smart enough to figure out what the unintended consequences are going to be three years from now but there will be some for sure whether that’s like a team trading a high draft pick because they

Want to keep their core together you know what I mean so they’re not up against second apron and then like three years later that draft picks becomes the number one pick and it’s a generational talent and 20 years from now we’re like oh that’s [ __ ] team but it’s like

That the intent of the rule was for parody right so I I don’t know that there’s like a solution for getting guys to play and I also I I I think the best question I have around this entire topic is if a team is willing to pay a player $260

Million if the Indiana Pacers are willing to pay you this amount of money if the Minnesota Timberwolves are willing to pay the max for Anthony Edwards do do we need this like oneye this one year of like he’s got to make all NBA yeah tap it to Tatum too right

That’s the part that I don’t like I If you want to incentivize contracts to Performance I’m okay with that but putting it all on one year doesn’t make a lot of sense to me yeah whereas like if you had signed a contract and it was like during the course of this contract

If you make all NBA or even if you made it twice you have six years to do it right then you get the supermax uh I think that’s a better route right because you’re you’re going to be pressured into playing too soon with this games thing you’re going to in

Some ways I think guys you’re not I don’t think you’re in this situation but some guys are going to put more pressure on themselves uh and and maybe play differently yeah so I I think that’s the unintended consequence be Beyond just like trying to play it’s it’s just the

The rule itself around the supermax for this rookie extension I don’t personally like yeah and like you said at the end of the day you think these organizations don’t want to pay us this money like I understand for salary cap reasons but you don’t think that the inota timberwol

Want to show we made the right pick at number one he’s a supermax player or Charlotte Hornets we made the right pick lamelo’s a super max or the Pacers trading for me or whatever the case may be like right the Pacers gave up an all-nba player to get you yeah exactly

So that that that’s the biggest thing but like you said I mean the intent is correct and I don’t and I think people misconstrued my words to say like act like I don’t like oh I don’t care about fans we don’t need to play like no I

Want to play 82 games if I if I can but I mean that’s just not how the cookie crumbles right now do you feel like this is an issue that for guys around the league who this maybe doesn’t directly affect this year that they’re actively paying attention to well again I mean I

Don’t want to say like I think that you also understand like how I feel in the NBA and I’m not like here to I’m not g to say anything bad about the PA like the PA is amazing but I do think us as players you really you’re not really

Necessarily thinking about everybody you know what I mean you’re thinking about how does it relate to you and like kind of your peers you know I I think kind of with that with like this year with the draft uh combine everybody has to submit their physicals now with this new rule

Like I’m not going to lie that would have screwed me if I had to submit all my physicals I was coming off a broken wrist I didn’t give my physicals to Cleveland I didn’t give my physicals to Atlanta like I didn’t give my physicals to teams that I didn’t want to go to

Where like I understand the why a GM would want everybody’s physical because I don’t care like for me it was like you’re going to draft me you don’t even know if my wrist heels correctly you don’t know what my wrist looks like so then that’s a risk that you’re taking

And I understand why the NBA would be pushing for that but that’s kind of something for me that as and I I could have been a lot more involved with um the negotiations for the new CBA and like I’m just not that involved in the PA and don’t

Harrison Harrison would scream at me he screams at me all the time about it uh that you’re not that I’m not yeah yeah you seem like you seem like you’d be a good fit for it I think so you think so yeah I think I I think I would be but

I’m just maybe like as one of the nine vice presidents there’s so many vice presidents but that’s just something like you said like I think sometimes as players we might think more of about ourselves than we do you know about the players coming in or you know what I

Mean like it only affects this rule right here that we’re talking about 65 games it affects obviously guys like Joel with you know MVP but financially really only three or four guys a year this is this is not a push back on that but I think I’m looking at it because we

Know CJ and I think he’s a well-reasoned very thoughtful very intelligent person and it felt like and I curious if you felt this last year it felt like last year the the load management conversation really just hit a fever pitch and it when you’re actively doing something that is turning off your fans

And making them angry I don’t think you really have a choice like if if if you are the product the league the game The Players the that’s the product right and the consumer is saying I really hate this part of your product you have to listen

To your consumer so you have to actively try to correct whatever is wrong with your product for sure 100% And and like you said earlier if this didn’t come down to which is why I’m saying I don’t like the rule that like first of all Le let’s let’s acknowledge this the rule

From my understanding was basically put into place because of Derrick Rose right where he won an MVP yeah called the D he won an MVP in his third year right he he should have been paid more on par with his peers yeah right um the Rarity of that of a guy I’m sure

I know it’s happened a handful of times it happened I’m not saying that there’s a lot of [ __ ] good players that are good by their third or fourth year the Rarity of it is is still it’s it’s a minuscule amount of guys I I I would think if a team says

You’re our guy we want to pay you the supermax we’re going to invest in you and if you make the all NBA or whatever incentive they want to attach to it over the course of this contract while you’re in our uniform you get the supermax yeah

Now if you say uh we’re gonna sign you to this $260 million deal and you have five years to make onba and two years into it you request a trade well that negates any chance to get the supermax right it there’s got there’s got to be

Some give and take on both sides I just fundamentally don’t like this that it’s just based on one year and it’s your fourth year in the NBA and it’s now at the point where it’s not 8 to 10 million over four years it’s 50 some doll 50

Some million dollar over five years are there any comps like this I’m just TR to thinking in general in sports you bring a thing that is just obviously you getting hurts completely out of your control versus requesting a trade or doing any sort of other thing that you

Know we miss games because of be technicals or whatever it is like this is it it just feels like a it feels like a first in a in an interesting way I agree with that and the other part of this and this is just coming from my

Seat now which is I vote on this stuff yeah so do 99 other people we’re all smart enough to like make these choices ourselves yeah we are if like last year no one played in enough games the MVPs played 6364 and 66 games okay so you’re not going to give an advantage to

Anybody I’ve talked to some people who are like I did a 50 game cut off for all NBA I did a 58 last year was a little bit of anomaly like literally nobody played games there was like one guy and I think it was joic that played not it

Wasn’t yic I’m sorry it was one guy trying to think who it was that played over 70 games that I voted for for all NBA Julius Randle He the only guy so to me you’re taking some of like the power out of the people that are voting on this yeah and another unintended

Consequence and I guarantee this will happen is that some guy will make all NBA probably in the front Court Pro that because of games played you’re like ah that guy got a 13 M NBA interesting interesting and this [ __ ] played in 62 and he had an unbelievable season

This guy played in 68 and you’re like yeah interesting right interesting yeah that’s we’re smart enough to figure this out on our own way for sure um I want to talk about the ball the ball the ball the Giannis ball oh that ball okay from your perspective that night take us through that

Night oh man the think pieces that I’ve seen on this ball are ridiculous the think pieces are ridiculous uh we had beat the Bucks twice to this point pretty I mean we beat him in season tournament there was some juice to those games there was a

Lot of talking you know right and so they came out and they were aggressive I mean I think there was like six or seven technicals in the game Bobby got kicked out like they came and set the tone they were going to punch Us in the mouth and

It worked they won the game uh they were up a bunch we took our starters out like all right like they’re going to win and they were again yanis a franchise record and like I’m not the fun police if I had the close to franchise record I want the

Franchise record too so I get that he gets a franchise record they sub him out our third unit kind of makes the game interesting like gets it to like 10 or eight or something like that he comes back in and again like understand you

Got to win the game I’m not mad at that like I don’t care I I did not care but some guys on our team took exception to it they were a little frustrated about it so like he comes back in scores more points talking more it’s it’s okay it’s

Basketball so after the game some we’re like guys are like we’re not shaking their hands and it’s the NBA you know I I’ve played against many players I’ve never shaken their hand before like that’s just how it goes like not not because of me but they just leave after

The game you don’t have to it’s not like kids basketball we don’t get in the line and have to shake hands I I lost a lot of games in my career I probably shook hands after like two games and it was to go say hi to my boys I’m going back to

The locker room I my game it’s like if you’re pissed off you lost you walk off yeah yeah it happens whatever but my my trainer was sitting Courtside my like a strength coach growing up so I walked out I gave him my jersey whatever I turned around and there was some talk

Back and forth you know the Bucks do the Huddle in the middle after games there was some talk from that little huddled towards our group as we were walking off so I’m kind of wa I’m watching it as I’m walking off but I’m like I’m walking off

So Lloyd per Lloyd’s waiting for me uh and then one of the Bucks assistant coaches is like going crazy on the other side that’s [ __ ] all this stuff so now he’s kind of walking towards LP and it’s just me and LP out there because everybody’s gone that’s when those two

Kind of are now having conversation and I’m in the middle of it and I’m you know I’m you know kind of trying to calm down but also I’m like come on bro you can’t walk over here like it’s not that serious that’s when y honest and

Everybody Chris and d and the whole Buck team walk over and at this point it’s me and LP and the whole bucks organization um and I think one of our assistants Mike Wier had the had the basketball had had a basketball not the basketball a basketball right and uh he walked off

With it and I think Giannis saw it and they had the ball the whole time which has been proven this whole time the Bucks did the Bucks had the ball already had the the whole time the whole time wait so so did which which is the ball

That Giannis ran off with that was wier’s ball what do you mean that he ran off with that he ran four yeah the backup ball you know there’s two there’s two the back ball the we we took the backup ball to give to our rookie who scored his

First points and then now it’s it’s crazy that basically it was proven for weeks for days that uh we did not have the real ball and people are still still think pieces out there about it like we never had the ball the ball was never in our possession ran after it

Whatever had a conversation me Dame Chris and LP are out there talking about it and I didn’t know that it wasn’t their correct ball at the time and they were like you know Chris like that’s BS like if that’s you know and I’m like you’re right bro like Oscar seaway’s first points

Versus franchise record you’re right y should get the ball I was like if we have the ball that’s on us but I don’t know anything I’ve been on here the whole time with you I was like if that’s the case we’ll get the ball so then

Giannis came back out and he would you know you seen the video he’s poking me in my chest go get the ball yada yada yeah and I’m like why are you yelling at me like I don’t know anything about this whatever they end up getting the ball and then it was the

Whole it’s just it ran too long it ran too long with the we don’t know if it’s the correct ball it doesn’t feel like the correct ball it just became blasphemist here here’s the reality of this whole situation if Giannis does that against this season against nearly any other team

And there’s some miscommunication on the location of the basketball the actual basketball I don’t think it’s a big deal it was the fact that it was you guys what what about us because you guys were mouthing off for like the first three times you beat them well I mean you def

You definitely were in Vegas I was behind the bench you definitely were definitely was definitely was there was some buildup is my point for it wasn’t just that some rookie 100% you’re right was that it was you guys you’re right about that 100% And then we played them

Two more times after that yeah is this your first is this your first real NBA rivalry team was is it a rivalry we’ve never played in the playoff they have Championship we’ve never I have never played a playoff game that’s a rivalry we we were discussing this with

Uh legs and RJ at the beginning of the Season there’s really not like true rivalries right now I’m all for agendas though if you want this to be a rival to call a rivalry I’m all for we can frame it that way yeah yeah sure whatever whatever helps build the Bucks Pacers

Rivalry the Pacers beat them and seminal regular season if it’s if you guys play them in in April and it’s a 36 matchup you think that everybody is not gonna I’d be hyped for that oh yeah then it’s yeah yeah then it yeah for sure then it’s a rivalry then it’s yeah yeah

Yeah but if you guys don’t end up playing him in the playoffs at all this year then the next season starts and it’s just like oh it’s the Bucks and the Pacers playing cares yeah exactly that’s not a real rivalry yet not yet not yet

Uh as it stands right now you guys are in uh sixth uh Philly uh made the move for for Buddy um I want to get into the playoff stuff um but first I want to I want to talk about Buddy who you posted about him earlier

Um been with him your whole career and he’s an interesting cat he’s an interesting cat he really is very uh I’m curious about the sort of evolution of your relationship both on and off the court yeah um because you guys have like you’ve been through a lot together I

Assume I think you’ve told this story before but like when you got traded from the Kings like you guys were on the plane to Indie right together talking about it right so like I’m curious about just the evolution of this relationship over the last four years well buddy is a

Person I’ve always loved who he is a person he’s got non-stop energy he’s funny all all the stuff right but my rookie year I hated this guy as a basketball player I could not stand him uh not like he started he started at the

Two I was kind of the backup right I was the rookie coming in and it wasn’t so much that like he’s like in in my way or it was just like I hate I I don’t know like I I can’t like when I’m on the floor with him he’s always running

Towards the ball he never goes to the corner like he’s always in the way like couldn’t stand him um and then my second year I started to like kind of come along more like I was now starting he was coming off the bench and then I

Would kind of slide to the back the point guard role and then I’d be on the floor with him and our Synergy had just grown to a level that was a lot of fun and then he kept saying I’m getting traded this deadline you’re coming with

And I’m I’m not you know me I wasn’t going anywhere but I get traded with them whatever and then it just felt like from there our Synergy was just like we knew where each other were at all times I I I knew you were going to ask this

Question so I remembered this story today we were playing Minnesota at home I think I had like 20 and 15 he might have had like I don’t remember what he had but there there’s just so many possessions where like he passes the ball to me he runs and set a blur screen

G screen a ghost screen I come off it’s not there I throw it back I go screen then he throws gives back like we just and I remember tan Prince he’s on the bench and he’s like y’all do know there’s two there’s three other players on the we passing each like that’s just

How it was when we first got there and uh I think a lot of our offensive identity is formed around me and him like even now with him gone I think that some other guys are going to kind of have to go into that role of knowing the

Right time to go screen and we run a lot of Stack action and I thought buddy was is a lead at that knowing the right time to set the screen slip it where to slip to and kind of all the intricacies of that so um yeah last night my first NBA

Game without buddy it was weird weird like I’ve never had to pick the ball before right I’ve never had to get us from shoot around back to layups like I’ve never had to yell two lines before like it was a like the energy was just was different without having buddy just

Constantly talking it was it was weird but uh yeah I know he I’ve known that he you know wants to be in a different situation and uh I’m sure Philly will be good for him that’s great I love that I was going to I was going to ask him

About the energy he’s a he’s a great black room guy yeah one of the best in the league for sure I think yeah is there is there an off thec Court story you can share um that you feel like would give a the viewers a sense of that personality

Because the energy thing but he’s just [ __ ] he’s hilarious yeah I don’t even know how to put I don’t even know how to explain buddy to the world like you have to you have to like really know him I think that like the type of person buddy is

And like people and it’s not guess is not technically off off the court but like but he’s the type of dude like he will never live like longer than five minutes away from the gym because he’s always he’s like I’m gonna be late every time like he lives right next to the gym

And like he’ll go like basketball is like his his therapy like he whatever is going on in his life or whatever like that guy is always he’ll go to the gym at like 9 at Night by himself and he’s there’s always videos of him like flipping the ball himself just shooting

And like you know our managers or our uh interns will be there offering a rebound he’s like n no mental shooting mental shooting like he always tells me mental shooting mental shooting and he’ll just like like you’re a kid in the driveway like he’ll just shoot and that’s just

Like I think that’s a lot of how we know him as the shooter he is just because of the way he operates um real quick I have had a few interactions with buddy but there was one night in the bubble where a few of us were playing Billiards uh pool okay

Um and Buddy came in there and I don’t think Buddy knew any of us like legit I’m not sure he knew any of us there was no other kings guys with him and he just kind of like joined the group and then talked for like two hours

And I was like oh dude’s different man when people say that stuff like that he’s like yeah I’m buddy I’m buddy everybody’s buddy yeah um you mentioned something I I I want to go on a little uh side note here you mentioned the stack action yeah um that’s I assume

Spain pick and roll yes correct yeah yeah so different folks call it different things but um the intricacies of that guard screener and making the reads on stack action and I think teams are getting more and more sophisticated about disguising it when when we first started running in La DJ and I would

Just like legitimately I would be on the right elbow and he would be in the middle uh at the foul line and Chris would bring the ball up the left side and then we’d just like do the action it was we weren’t disguising it now teams

Are really disguising it but I was the guard screener and I feel like had I played five or six years later that would have been like my that would have been part of my package where I went after that I never never really ran it again after the Clippers um how

Much have you ran that screening yeah are you always the ball handler always the ball hand and I think that now with Pascal a little bit more I’ll be able to be that screener um and we start and Drew nard starts for us right now so I I

I I will say like especially after inseason tournament I started to get like face guarded and denied heavier and so then we just kind of that’s kind of a a counter when I’m getting denied is just to go into stack that’s kind of naturally where we go but yeah I think

It’s all about figuring out like the right you know like we talked about like the right time of screen where to go to Atlanta ran a crazy uh I don’t know if they meant to but I think they did because I think Quinn’s a genius but oh

I saw it they cleared out the corner yes and bogy slipped to the wing and you know everybody guard to guard switches stack now yeah nobody guards he had the entire left side I know I I noticed it in the game and then um Caitlyn Cooper

Posted about it and I DM her right away and I was like no this is so crazy in the like you can see me in the background like oh like that’s that’s ridiculous he he had the whole side he was wide open and I don’t know if they I

Don’t know if they meant to cuz like on uh Big O set the screen and then as he was rolling he stopped and set like a flare within the stack action because the five always drops all the way back or within the Spain pick and roll and he

Was wide open and I was like that was CRA Quinn I I bet they did it on purpose think Quinn’s doing different like one of the things they did I don’t know if they did it much last year but I know at the beginning of the Season it was

Different and they’ve kept doing it is in delay action delay is just five out uh so typically ball handler will bring it up sort of the the right or left slot and the fiveman in almost every delay action is in the middle and what some teams will do is they’ll just drop the

Big and protect right so Quinn started putting the big in one of in the opposite slot so that it it’s it’s a subtle thing but because the action’s taking place away from the big then the big helper is like two or three feet away from where he normally would

Be right so it’s just like a way to create more space with the non shooter which is interesting I so I bet he did it I bet he did it on purpose yeah yeah no it was crazy it was crazy I was like I never seen anybody do it before I’ve

Never seen anybody with that with that thought but and and bogey made the shot right he it was a close out and he shot faked left wing in front of our bench I think so yeah that was nice that was nice what was the uh the night that

Trade happens we talked about it that day right when it happened what was your what was your first thought yeah uh so I had an idea that it that it could happen um they had talked to me about the there’s a a chance that it that happened

I think we played in Denver we kind of like ah I don’t don’t know if it’s going to happen but it could and I was okay but I kind of I keep my expectations super low so I was like it’s never that’s not happening whatever and I

Actually had went to the gym early in Sacramento I was still hurt but I was like in the gym shooting and um then the the notification I heard my headphones notification I I nobody told me like uh everybody started walking in I was like yo y’all see Bruce got tra and they were

Like he was in the the uh he was in the uh breakfast room saying bye to everybody and I I was never there because I was already at the gym like I I nobody told me that this was I knew it could happen but I didn’t know like when

It happened you know uh so it it was crazy um but I think it’s like exciting for everybody because I’ve known Pascal um just because of working with Rico Hines when I was in sack we used to do like you know the Raptors do their summer workouts with Rico so you know

Pascal would always be there but never really had conversations of like real dialogue before uh but I think like as soon as he got there we’ve just like the minute they got that he got to Portland we sat in the breakfast room uh before he met with our offens and defensive

Coach and went over concept and just kind of talked about uh what we expect like from each other and just kind of like the expectations moving forward and uh it’s been a good partnership I think what I really appreciate is just like he listens really well like he listens

Really well and like I he’s receptive receptive there it is like there’s times when new guys get get on the team I always think if you grab the rebound and I’m next to you give me the ball because I’m G I I I want to give you it back I

Just want I’m trying to drive and draw two and I’m going to give it right back yeah put you an easier position and usually when we get a new guy it takes a little bit like when Bruce first got there he would like this and I’m like

Give me theall give me the ball I’m gonna get you a layup like come on um and I’ll never like the Portland game the first rebound Pascal grabbed I was in front of him and I was waiting for him to do this and he flipped it to me

And I was like oh this is gonna be fun like he gave me the ball right away uh so I I think that it’s been it’s been really good so far I think it’s just about keep you know learning each other and I’ve never this is my first time

Really moving to I I can trust him with the ball more you know what I mean like when I was in sack with playing alongside Fox he’d have the ball in his hands more uh but now it’s about how can I get p in the right positions to you

Know get downhill to his right hand and uh in different positions you know I’ve never played with a guy who could really post like yeah he post sometimes and usually if a guy’s not like on the Block I’m not throwing throwing the ball in there but pasc if you push him out to

Like the short corner I still yeah I was watching a bunch of second speci Spectrum clip since the trade yeah today and like his ability it’s like I said this about joic and there’s like a little bit with yakum the Rhythm and Cadence of the game is just a little bit

Off yeah and I mean that in a positive way like if you were thinking about like a beat right most basketball players play to a beat in a rhythm and then certain guys they play like a beat off R and I but no pasc does that true like

Where he’s he’s got all the footwork but then you’re like that looked a little different the the the D cell to the XEL was like it was just a little off right you know like the spin is just a little off the normal Rhythm and it’s really fascinating that’s a really good point

Really F think that’s why he’s enjoyed playing with us too cuz more times than not we have four Shooters around him yeah and I think like the athletic or somebody put out an article about when Pascal was in Toronto he said like the number one player want to play was KD

And number two was Miles CU like the floor spacing and that’s been interesting too is uh like we’ve never worked on post spacing before because we don’t play through the post often but we if if things are starting to slow down we need to we need to get some throw it

To the post and I you know work on flares and pin downs and he’s got four Shooters around him like it’s tough cover and obviously you’re you’re you brought up the minutes restriction so we still haven’t seen I think this this like partnership function at full speed

You know one of the one of the things that I said when the trade happened I was like offensively this is like a perfect fit right number one uh I think Tyrese is the best guy in the league at the throw aead pass so there’s been a

Number of examples already of that where you just you throw it ahead to him and he’s attacking one-on-one in space um number two he’s never had this space Inc so whether that’s in the post or you guys running two-man action he pops he’s driving a close out to his right hand

Like he’s never played in this space before um and so it’s it’s been good is there anything that like basketball wise that has stuck stuck out about him in particular um like you’re talking like schematically just like anything that surprised you about his I know you’ve played against him but like it’s

Different when you’re with that guy every day you’re like oh I didn’t realize how good of a passer he was or I didn’t realize like how good he is at changing Pace or whatever it may be yeah I I would say two things in the post I didn’t really I I didn’t really

Know he like his step back is is elad like the one leg one yes like it go it goes in a lot and like sometimes you sh I’m like what the and it goes in and it’s been going in a lot so like I have

A lot of faith in that but I would say his passing is probably the biggest thing too like he does a really good job and I think like when he got traed here you look at his numbers right he’s averaging like he’s getting like six assists a game like okay like that’s

That’s Elite and there’s a lot of times five okay right there uh but he’s he’s coming down 22.7 rebounds five assists 57 44 shooting splits five point something or is it five 4.8 damn but uh I would say that’s probably the biggest thing just in transition like he does a

Really good job of finding me so I have a question last question on sakam um because I I I think in a in a way it’s similar in a way it’s different yeah but one one of the things that I envisioned when Dame got traded to Milwaukee was the inverted pick and roll

And I think in some ways you and seak in an inverted pick and roll so an inverted pick and roll is when the guard sets the screen for the big um is like a really interesting thing given your personnel because there’s so much space uh how

Much of that have you I couldn’t really find a lot of that we haven’t really I mean we’ve put it in and we kind of went over it yeah but like I would I would say like we haven’t really played around with it enough like I I think that like

The more minutes we get together the more we can you know start to start to figure it out and I think also me just like learning from Buddy like I feel like Buddy’s one of the elite like ghost screen guys like Elite like maybe the best Duncan Duncan’s up there too Duncan

Robinson is up there running up yelling like yelling stuff like switch you know what I mean like taing people the while they run by yeah uh so like learning from that and like watching a lot of that film at the same time and just trying to find the right know the right

Spots and like you know I think I have a good idea of how I can like manipulate the game the right way to like we’re not running a set but there’s a way for me to get to it without having to call anything and slow us down and slow our

Pace down and and honestly the the the Dame Giannis defensive matchups in general are probably more more attuned to like running that inverted action where like seak and you maybe are guarded by similar defensive players so it is a little matchup Bas like yesterday was like Wiggins and

Kingo yeah ex you’re not gonna run it then you’re not gonna run it then exactly exactly I wanted to ask about Obie Obie and TJ so when when you guys got Obie this summer JJ I think he talked about it right away he thought this was gonna be a big addition um I

Think he was like my he was one of un like unheralded pickups that could have a potential not like a Breakout like all NBA season but like dude’s a good player for sure he’s going to a better situation for him that’s that’s kind of how I framed it when you’re when you’re

A new player and and Pascal I think probably fits into this as well but when you’re a when you’re a new player fitting into a whatever you want to call this offense the highest possible octane offense is there a level of um there’s a learning curve obviously fitting into

Any new offense but like is there a level of intimidation about like I need to I know everyone else’s firon all cylinders I need to find a way to figure out how to find my role in that and like how uh how if at all are you surprised

At how he’s done it I’m definitely not surprised at what he’s doing um I think that like early in the year we had a really good conversation because what Obi does so well is run the floor and when he first got traded here like one of our first conversations was me

Calling him like Hey like you know Mitchell Robinson andin grabbing every rebound anymore like I need you to help rebound here like that’s part of why like you’re going to have to help but also we run too so like I I think in the open court Obie running the floor like

There’s not many people that are getting up and down like him but early in the year our offense was interesting because our uh what we were talking about in training camp was the five never take the ball out like miles never take the ball out right and that was like that

Through our first like four or five games we lost to Chicago and then I remember I met with Rick and LP and it was kind of and and I was saying hey I think that I know we’ve been hammering away at the five never take the ball out

But I think that that kind of negates from what Obi does so well and what miles does really well like Obi is a lead at running the floor so if you allow him if you tell if you allow whoever to take the ball out Obi can rim

Run because we want to get somebody on the rim at all times want a rim Runner and that’s what Obie does naturally so if like you have him taking the ball out all the time he never gets to run to the rim and like maybe once a game I can

Find him ahead of the pack kick ahead dunk right so I was like if you let miles take the ball out then that allows him to Trail now he can drag and reject the drag he’s getting his top of the key3 where he plays so well and what and

We play five out anyway so Obi Rim runs and then kind of bleeds out to the corner anyway now we’re just straight into our our stuff as normal um but I think that that’s helped a lot is allowing Obi to be who he is and run to

The rim um H how how would you describe uh Rick as like a tactician because there is an element of free flowing basketball yeah um and when I was in Dallas there was an element of get Luke at the ball and just have him like manipulate every possession to a degree

But then when we got in the playoffs against the Clippers I was like oh dude carile is a tactician yeah like it may not look like from the outside like oh they’re running these like really Advanced sets but there’s like a a a really in like a really uh intensive intent for

For what you’re doing yeah yeah yeah I would say two things I was going to start with genius like he does a lot of things even when we’re doing we do a lot of five on0 whether that’s in practice which you’re not really practicing a ton

This year but in shoot rounds and stuff we do a lot of five on0 and even if we’re not going full speed it’ll be like the angle of this cut has to be this way like do it again and everybody’s like groaning like G we got to do it again

You know or the angle of the screen isn’t right or the timing of of you know when for running like a floppy action like used to always it used to always be buddy uh but it would always be like buddy always went on the floppy action

Too early like we’re running a pin down then the floppies coming and Buddy would be past both screeners before the big got to come out to pick a roll for the pin down and uh Rick would just make us do it again and again and again and I

Think that hammering away on that and and he does a really good a job of maybe running the same set but just throwing a little Wrinkle in it that you might not be paying attention to uh that might not seem like a big deal it could literally

Be what player is in it you know and you’re like why why are we putting uh buddies on the floor why am I running this for OB TJ TJ there it is TJ he’ll get a kick out of that one he’ll be pissed when he hears this uh like that’s

Why am I running it for TJ well now his point isn’t to run the play for maybe the shot but he knows if I get it to TJ and he can then attack and I’m there on the flip like he’s thinking a step ahead I feel like right and I’ll say the other

Thing is like hold on I want to clarify that because I think that’s important for any coach and any player to understand I tell I don’t want to bring my nine-year-olds into this but I tell them all the time like yes it’s a play yeah it’s just an action to get us into

Concepts right so I think to that point it’s like a good coach will understand the waterfall effect the ripple effect of a certain action with a certain matchup and what that potentially could lead to right you’re going to get if we run it this way I know that’s not how we

Normally but if we run it this way we can get to what we actually want for sure and I was told that when I first got in the NBA it was kind of like the best players just run they can run the same thing over and over and beat you in

A different way in that play uh like CP was running Spain pick a roll on my rookie year and they scored like four straight times in a different way every time and he never said anything and I was like what is going on uh but on to

The next thing I think that Carlile is is he’s very uh he trust me a lot he trust his point guards to make a lot of the reads and make to make the calls like he does he never trumps what I call like I pra Trump what he calls five to

Six times a game uh and he’s like okay cool like he he wants me to have a complete input over what we do offensively and if he sees some he’ll come up and talk to me or we’ll talk about it at the timeout or whatever um but like that was like last

Year he came up to me before the year and was like not calling plays anymore like that’s your responsibility does he give TJ that freedom and Aaron yes he does yeah yeah and uh I would say with and that’s constant conversation I think in our point guard room of like me TJ

And Andrew talking about that consistently because I think that they’re on the floor less than me and they kind of uh when they’re running sets it’s I I kind of think like you know I’ve always been told like being the point guard your job is like you’re

Like the mom of the team like your my mom’s job was to keep all our kids Happy from the point guard my job is to keep everybody happy if he ain’t touch the ball in three possessions four possessions how can I get him a touch you know some guys just want to touch

The ball they don’t want a shot they just want to be involved in the action touch and then they get off it and I think that like what TJ does so well TJ’s leite at push action he’s Elite at at the pistol working the Baseline beating his guy call it Nash action Nash

Yeah yeah elite under the hoop you know and so sometimes he can get caught up in running yo we ran pistol three time four times in a row TJ or Andrew’s good at coming off drags keeping guys on his back and you know running the Gort toot

Screen for layups or whatever and it’s like just trying to find the right way to to to to balance everything but I think coach does a good job with that for clarification purposes because we’ve used a lot of Concepts and I’ve tried to explain them all uh what Tyrese is

Describing and what I call Nash action you call Push action no no no I the the pistol P pistol is is just a is just a one two sort of it could be a ghost screen it could be a slip it could be a straight pick and roll TJ turns the

Corner the big then becomes engaged and he just drags the big underneath the basket and Nash used to do that better than anyone that’s why I call it yes I call it Nash too I was talking about the pistol um you mentioned that that player great

Players can beat you on the same play in a number of different ways I literally just diagrammed the simplest play in the world Boston Celtics with Brad Stevens they would have two guys in the corner roier smart bringing the ball up and they would put a screener and Jason

Tatum in what they called stack which is just like literally the two of them stack to the top of the key and JT could just make a read out of it so he might Iverson cut over the top rip through left pull up jumper you try to cheat the

Gap he’s fading now to the right side three he might Iverson cut let smarter Rosier cut through get into a pick and roll like it was a simple play but then it’s like the individual creativity Freedom intelligence to then just make reads out of that great players could

Beat you 10 different ways on the same play I love that you said that that’s a golden state that’s what Golden State that’s how they won four how many four championships like how many times they just come down I don’t even know what the play is called but you see them do

The hand signal and they just throw the ball on the post throw the ball the post walks to the free throw line dudes are grabbing him pulling him and he’s just like he walks over there like nonchalant comes off hits a three then he back doors for a layup then play gets back

Like you’re like what they just do the same thing my favorite part about just General besides just like Steph and being like Oh that guy’s pretty good at basketball my favorite part watching golden state is the pointing like they’re always just pointing Draymond clay Steph Looney down the court and

He’s like throw throw it in the post over there they’re just P pointing I just love it I was ask both of you about that trust play for Rick as well but is that something that you feel is particularly unique have you seen that in other situations it’s a good question

Um you know what’s interesting as I I figured you would you were as you were talking you were asking and I was thinking of the coaches that I played for and I think every situation is so different because of who the point guard is yeah do you know what I mean and then

Who the coaches and I remember there was one season where like Stan like Stan was you know he he liked to have control and he liked to be able to like call the plays right but then there was one season where he was like I don’t want to

Call the plays Jamir you call the plays you know I I don’t know who our backup point guard was that year in particular maybe it was Jason Williams maybe it was Duhan maybe it was Anthony Johnson I don’t know but he’s like you guys called the plays man that lasted for like a

Week yeah I feel like every coach says that but they don’t really believe that it’s like at the what does every team say at the beginning of the year training camp they’re like we want to play fast this year like well we don’t have the Personnel to play fast you know

I mean it’s like it’s a great question Tommy I think the reality is it takes a unique coach and it takes a unique player to get to that that point where there’s complete like I that’s what I fundamentally believe it’s it’s not like a coach can have that

Philosophy I’m going to give my guard trust and or I’m gonna trust my guard and give him freedom to just call the plays run the offense and I’m not going to be as involved within a game and then I might talk to him during the timeouts like that’s fine to have that philosophy

But it takes a unique coach and a unique player to make it actually happen I’ve been I’ve been lucky to play I mean I played for Luke and Sack who was like I as players coach as a you know he was a player right yeah and then Alvin Alvin

Was like free raid you know like offensively like he trust you like go score um and then coming to play for for Carlile I just feel like having him coming from being with Luca that probably that helped a lot too I feel like I love playing for Alvin yeah me

Too love love playing for Alvin just like go score go score to this point we we were talking about the Ser today so the top five guards right now in uh according to basketball index and overall shot making are you Luca um Jaylen SGA and Maxi is there a

Common characteristic you think you guys all share well outside of Tyrese we all have the ball in our hands the whole game uh Tyrese just happens to play with the MVP the league but and and is like a I think probably no offense probably more so than the four of you guys he’s

He’s more of a blur in transition oh Maxi he’s unbelievable he’s so fast he’s the fastest guy in the league uh no Fox is the fast guy League I will never change my stance on that ever that dunk he had the other night was so sick

He is he’s ridiculous he’s so fast rid people don’t I don’t know how he dunked that I I’m trying who was it against he was like he had no he had no business dunking it I want to say it was like off his left leg or something yeah he does

That where he’ll jump off the same foot and dunk it it it was like oh that’s that’s surprising Fox Maxi those are those are probably M and ish Smith yeah yeah he’s fast dude you don’t understand is I played with ish Smith in like 2011 like a young ish Smith when he was

Like 2223 he started against us the other day he different bro and by the way at that point in time he didn’t know how to change pace so it was just like that all the time it was great it was great all right let’s let’s wrap up with

This uh mentioned the playoff thing earlier um not without getting into sort of matchups and and whatnot like this stage of your career what would it mean to be in the playoffs you guys before you got hurt last year were in a good position and then you kind of nose dived

You’re sitting there in six uh Miami Orlando right behind you like I know you’re motivated by this what what would it mean what what are you like are you already thinking ahead like what’s going through your brain is you’re sort of processing the success so far but also

Looking ahead yeah it it would mean everything I’m not going to lie to you um I feel like this year more more than the years prior I’m like locked into every team like especially in our conference like I’m watching like it was like more basketball than I ever have um

Paying attention to standings more than I ever have seeing like where could this match up be who holds our tiebreaker between this team um I’m just super locked into that stuff I just think like think I talked about this like after USA it was kind of like a wakeup call for me

Uh like not winning a go like not winning gold that was like the first time I had real expectations to win since I’ve been in the NBA and still didn’t do it you know and so not that I necessarily felt like oh that like us not winning gold is strictly on me but

Like looking at myself in the mirror was like something needs to change like my daily habits something has to happen because I’m I can’t I can’t do this anymore I can’t just like be a loser my whole life like I I can’t I can’t so uh this year has just been completely

Locking in on winning and doing doing things to win and I’m so thankful that like we’ve added Pascal because I think that we share that notion like he just wants to win at the same time uh he’s won a championship before and I think that he’s trying to continue to you know

He he’d like to do that again you know but uh I think for me like I’ve been an All-Star um you I’ve had a lot of individual success I signed the big contract like all that’s cool but I just want to be known for like my impact on

The game and like you can’t impact the game and be a loser you know what I mean so uh honestly it’s all I think about it’s all I care about uh I figured that yeah yeah I just all right this has been great we should do it in person more

[ __ ] [ __ ] the zooms dude Fu Zo