INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) -- Westfield grad and former Purdue basketball superstar Braden Smith made a special appearance Saturday at Tyrese Haliburton's annual kids basketball camp.
Hundreds of young kids in grades 1 through 8 filled the gym. They rotated through stations designed to teach the fundamentals of the game, and Smith was right there alongside them, helping out throughout the afternoon.
The newly drafted Pacer is fresh off a four-year career at Purdue, where he cemented his legacy as the NCAA's all-time assists leader. Now, as Smith prepares to suit up for his hometown team, Haliburton spoke about just how surreal this moment must feel for him.
"I keep telling him like bro, that's got to be a dream come true," Haliburton said. "To be an in-state kid, go to a state school, and then end up on the NBA team, that's so, so fire to me. That's what dreams are made of."
Smith was sent to the Pacers from the Chicago Bulls as part of a draft-day trade. Indiana traded away Kam Jones, two future second-round pick swaps, and cash considerations in order to select Smith at No. 38 overall.
Haliburton described how much he's looking forward to helping Smith get acclimated to the NBA level.
"It's really cool, obviously, we play the same position, so we'll be spending a lot of time together with position groups and stuff like that," Haliburton said. " I look forward to just helping him out as much as I can."
Haliburton also detailed what impresses him the most about Smith's game.
"By the time I was a sophomore, I felt like I had perfected the pick and roll at the collegiate level," Haliburton said. "It didn't matter who was guarding me, going right, going left, whatever pass I needed to make, I could make. I felt that same way when I watched him [Smith] play. He can really make any read offensively. He's very talented in that regard, being a point guard and knowing how to play the right way. I think that will not be a problem for him in his NBA career. Looking forward to helping him as much as I can."
Smith will compete for the first time in a Pacers uniform at the start of the NBA Summer League games, beginning on July 5th.
