Tyrese Haliburton Joins Stunned Fans After Johnny Furphy’s Ridiculous Dunk

Indiana Pacers' star Tyrese Haliburton is watching Johnny Furphy and the young prospects duel in the Summer League.

Tyrese Haliburton Joins Stunned Fans After Johnny Furphy’s Ridiculous Dunk

Tyrese Haliburton pumped after Johnny Furphy's dunk (Image via FirstSportz)

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Ever since Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon, he has stayed put in Indianapolis. He could not join his Indiana Pacers teammates on the trip to Las Vegas where young stars, such as last year’s second-round pick Johnny Furphy, are working their way to prove they are worthy of rotational minutes.

Last season, the Australian mostly played garbage minutes for the NBA Finals bound Pacers. Considering how the Summer League is the best platform for fringe players to make a statement, he embraced the opportunity.

Furphy played nearly 30 minutes in the Pacers’ first Summer League game, then was on the court for just 9 in the second game. Earlier today, he was the focus again as he played for much of Game 3. Late in the 2nd quarter, his team was trailing the Chicago Bulls by 2 points.

At this point, with the ball in his hands, he dribbled up the court. As Bulls star Matas Buzelis turned around to try to steal the ball, the Australian sent the ball behind his back, gathered it back, jumped off inside the restricted area.

Seeing this, Bulls’ 1st round draft pick this season, Noa Essengue, tried to slow him down. But Johnny Furphy was having none of it and threw down a monster tomahawk dunk. As soon as this dunk sent the Pavilion in Las Vegas into a frenzy, his teammate Tyrese Haliburton reacted on X.

Johnny MF Furphy sheeeeees.

Tyrese Haliburton wrote

The 20-year-old is expected to take a leap this season as the Pacers look to make the most out of a possibly difficult upcoming season without Haliburton in the lineup. This dunk might be a way for Furphy to let his coaches know he is ready.

Basketball fans lose their minds after Johnny Furphy catches a body

At the Summer League, fans are accustomed to seeing players try to make the most of their opportunities. Bronny James, Cooper Flagg, and others have been doing their bit. However, those are players who have their play time set for next season.

Johnny Furphy has to do more to earn rotational minutes
Johnny Furphy has to do more to earn rotational minutes (Image via NBA/X)

The likes of Johnny Furphy, has to battle against prospects, both from last season, as well as this year. In such situations, players usually look to prove they are a team player. The Australian did play team ball for much of the 30 minutes he was on the court.

In that one moment, when he had the restricted area to himself, he decided to make the most of it, and in style. Fans watching this were left dumbfounded as the Kansas star had made a 1st-rounder look weak. Check out examples of those reactions below:

Johnny Furphy will have to do a lot more than just throw down dunks. So far, he has averaged just 11 points, and four rebounds in that time. Along with those middle of the pack averages, the Indiana Pacers have lost both games he logged significant minutes in.

Bulls’ Yuki Kawamura steals the show

The Indiana Pacers’ 114-105 loss to the Chicago Bulls came about after the former could not do enough to overcome the latter’s lead in the 4th quarter. One of the reasons for the Bulls stellar showing was the combination of last year’s 1st round pick Matas Buzelis, and Yuki Kawamura.

The Japanese star was a fan favorite last season with the Memphis Grizzlies. However, that team’s depth saw him play for their G-League squad. This season, they let him go, and he signed with the Bulls. So far, he has been making an impression as a point guard.

In this game, he set his teammates up 10 times, giving the Bulls an edge in terms of spacing and scoring. His blinding passes continued to draw ooohs and aaahs from the crowd. However, his overall impact on the game with his 15 points, 10 assists and 3 steals should go a long way into handing him a contract.

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