Tyrese Haliburton's girlfriend Jade Jones reacts as Pacers star secures top rank in one aspect

Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton received high praise in Bleacher Report's Tuesday article ranking the NBA's best players by age. A day later, his girlfriend, Jade Jones, took notice and delivered a heartfelt social media reaction.

Haliburton is in the midst of a down season, with his production decreasing from his past two All-Star campaigns. While he couldn't earn his third consecutive All-Star nod this season, he remains one of the league's premier playmakers. Meanwhile, he's the No. 2 scoring option on an Indiana team positioned fourth in the Eastern Conference (30-23).

According to Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes, that's more than enough to make Haliburton the league's top 24-year-old.

"Haliburton tops all 24-year-olds in Value Over Replacement Player, a testament to his level-raising effect on teammates, efficient scoring and unparalleled facilitation," Hughes wrote.

"Haliburton carried the Indiana Pacers to last year's East finals and is the only player in his age group with two All-Star nods and an All-NBA honor on his resume."

The Pacers shared their star player's recognition on X/Twitter on Wednesday, dubbing Haliburton the "best in his class" in their caption.

Shortly after, Jones shared the franchise's graphic to her Instagram stories, reacting with a face-holding-back-tears emoji and a prayer-hands emoji.

Tyrese Haliburton's girlfriend Jade Jones reacts as Pacers star secures top rank in one aspect (Image Credit: @jadeeejones on Instagram)

Jones, who has reportedly been dating Haliburton since 2019, has witnessed her boyfriend's entire career arc since his 2020 NBA draft selection. So, she appears appreciative to see him still making waves in Year 5.

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Bleacher Report names Zion Williamson as biggest threat to Tyrese Haliburton's 'best 24-year-old' designation

As for Tyrese Haliburton's biggest competition for the title of "top 24-year-old," Grant Hughes named New Orleans Pelicans star forward Zion Williamson. However, Hughes noted that the explosive two-time All-Star's extensive injury history and outdated playstyle have prevented him from eclipsing Haliburton.

"One could argue the absolute peaks of Williamson's career have rivaled or exceeded Haliburton's," Hughes wrote.

"But this is a close enough call to make Williamson's durability concerns relevant — to say nothing of how much easier it is to build a winning roster around a selfless, scalable star like Haliburton than a spacing-challenged, defensively iffy big man like Zion."

Williamson (24.4 points per game) has a higher scoring average than Haliburton (17.8 ppg) this season. However, the 2019 No. 1 draft pick has been limited to 18 appearances due to a left hamstring strain and his ensuing injury maintenance. Meanwhile, Haliburton has suited up in 52 contests.

Unless Williamson gets his health on track, Haliburton appears fairly safe atop his age group.

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