Tyrese Haliburton was initially surprised by his trade from the Sacramento Kings to the Indiana Pacers, but he seems to be embracing his status as the franchise's foundational piece.

"Sacramento was great," Haliburton told Zach Lowe of ESPN. "I wasn't ready to be a full-time point guard when I got there. Playing with [De'Aaron] Fox helped. But now, this is everything I ever wanted. I get to be the full-time guy. I love this."

"In the modern game, where guys love to hold the ball, he's an outlier," says Rick Carlisle, Indiana's coach.

But the Pacers also need Haliburton to score.

"This whole summer has been about challenging my mind and become more of an a--hole in a sense, offensively," Haliburton said.