INDIANAPOLIS — Tamin Lipsey grew up in Ames, Iowa, so he was an Iowa State fan before he was an Iowa State point guard, which meant Tyrese Haliburton was a role model going back to his teenage years.
Haliburton has kept close tabs on the program and still goes to Cyclones games whenever the NBA schedule allows, which included a game at Purdue in December, so Lipsey got to know him well over his four years in Ames. However, on Thursday, when Lipsey came to Indianapolis for a draft prospects workout, Haliburton wasn’t there to see it as this is a particularly significant summer for the two-time All-Star.
“I wish he was here so I could talk to him, but I heard he’s on his bachelor trip or something,” Lipsey said after the workout. “He’s getting married, so congrats to him.”
Indeed, Haliburton proposed to his fiance Jade Jones in Ames last summer at halfcourt of the Hilton Coliseum while he was still on a scooter as he’s recovering from a torn right Achilles tendon. Still, the advice Lipsey has received in the past from Haliburton has been useful for this moment, and Haliburton has been used as a motivational tool since he left Iowa State. Prior to the summer before his senior year at Oshkosh North High School, Haliburton was a mid-major recruit, held back by a skinny frame, but in just two years with the Cyclones he turned into a lottery pick and then an All-NBA point guard.
“Him and (forward) Georges Niang come back all the time,” Lipsey said. “They’re great for the Ames community. Ames loves them. Iowa State fans love them. Just to see they still show that love back to Iowa State when they’ve been gone for so many years, it just shows their character and their love. That’s why we see them as role models at Iowa State.”
Though Lipsey sees Haliburton as a role model, it’s harder for him to model his game after Haliburton’s because they do have some differences in size and skill set. Lipsey is significantly shorter but more solidly built at 6 foot 1, 200 pounds while Haliburton was listed at 6-5, 175 at Iowa State. Lipsey isn’t quite the shooter or the creator that Haliburton is, but he’s a sturdy floor general and an excellent pressure defender. He averaged 2.0 steals per game or more in each of his four seasons at Iowa State and was named to the All-Big 12 defensive team in each of his last three seasons.
Which means there’s also another Pacers point guard he looks up to.
“I love playing defense, love creating havoc,” Lipsey said. “T.J. McConnell is one of those guys who has found a role in the league, who does that to the highest level of everybody. At his size, I’m a similar size, so I’m trying to do something like that.”
Like both Haliburton and McConnell, Lipsey enjoys the distribution side of being a point guard. He averaged 11.0 points per game in his career and 13.5 per game as a senior, but he also averaged 5.1 assists per game against just 1.5 turnovers per game as a senior.
“You can insert me into any thing and I’ll bring a positive energy no matter what my role is,” LIpsey said. “I feel like I make others around me better.”
Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Of course Iowa State’s Tamin Lipsey looks up to Tyrese Haliburton, and another Pacers guard
Reporting by Dustin Dopirak, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dustin Dopirak, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
