Former NBA guard Jeff Teague believes that Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox is better than Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton.
“Y’all know I’m a De’Aaron Fox fan,” Teague said. “He better than Tyrese Haliburton.”
Teague continued.
“I mean, I always thought De’Aaron Fox was better,” said Teague. “I thought he had – a lot more people were like, ‘Tyrese better than De’Aaron Fox.’ I’m like, ‘I think De’Aaron got a different gear.’ He can take over games differently than Tyrese Haliburton can. I feel really comfortable with De’Aaron Fox with the ball in his hands in the fourth quarter.”
Fox and Haliburton played together earlier in their careers, but the Kings ended up trading Haliburton to the Pacers in the deal that brought Domantas Sabonis to the Kings. Sabonis has been a great player in Sacramento, helping the team make the playoffs in the 2022-23 season, while Halburton led the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
Since Fox and Haliburton are two guards that thrive with the ball in their hands, the Kings may not have thought that they could play together long term. Ultimately, the trade has worked out for both teams, and it appears Teague thinks the Kings made the right decision by choosing to keep Fox.
Fox and Haliburton both have an All-NBA selection in their careers, although Haliburton has made two All-Star teams to Fox’s one.
This season, Fox has outplayed his former teammate in a big way. The former No. 5 in the 2017 NBA Draft is averaging 28.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game while shooting 50.6 percent from the field and 34.0 percent from 3.
As for Haliburton, he is struggling shooting the ball. He’s at just 37.8 percent from the field and 29.4 percent from 3 this season while averaging 15.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game.
Haliburton may be a better passer than Fox, but the Kings guard has been an elite scorer, averaging 25 points per game or more in each of the last two completed seasons. He also won the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year award in the 2022-23 season.
Both of these star guards are extremely talented, but Teague seems to think that Fox’s ability to take over games makes him the superior player. Fox and Haliburton will get a chance to face off on Dec. 22 when the Pacers and Kings meet for the first time this season.
