INDIANAPOLIS -- All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton was asked after the Pacers' 132-129 win over the Rockets on Tuesday night what Buddy Hield contributed to the victory.

Haliburton's close friend and the Pacers' veteran sharpshooting guard had a strong performance in what has been a trying year, scoring 12 points on 5 of 7 shooting including 2 of 4 from 3-point range as well as six assists and three rebounds. The Pacers were +11 for the 24 minutes and 26 seconds he was on the floor on a night when no one else on the Pacers' roster posted a better plus-minus figure than Jalen Smith's +3.

But Haliburton saw an opportunity to make a broader case for Hield's contribution to this year's team, so before he began he told the reporter who asked, "I'm glad you asked that question."

Haliburton never mentioned the elephant in the room -- the looming trade deadline coming at 3 p.m. Thursday and Hield's expiring contract that makes him appear to be the Pacers' most movable player. Haliburton's pitch seemed to be focused more at fans or perhaps media who have been critical of Hield this season than the basketball decision makers in the Pacers' front office, whom he never even glancingly referred to. Still, the argument he made in Hield's defense could have very easily been used either as a reason to keep Hield at the deadline or for a team that might be interested in him to pay a higher cost for his services.

Haliburton acknowledged that this season has not been Hield's finest hour statistically. He's averaging 12.0 points per game this season, the lowest figure since his rookie year and down from 16.8 per game last season. He shot 42.5% from 3-point range last year when he set a Pacers single-season record with 288 3-pointers, but he's down to 38.4% this season. He's averaging 2.6 made 3s per game this year compared to 3.6 last year, so with 137 3s so far this season he's on track to fall short of 260 for the first time since his second year in the NBA.

But even in a down year Hield has knocked down more 3-pointers than all but 14 NBA players, seven of whom are All-Stars this season and two more of whom have been in the recent past. He continues to climb the all-time 3-point shooting ranks as his 1,842 career 3-pointers put him 22nd in NBA history and ninth among active players.

And what that means, Haliburton said, is that defenses have to respect that Hield can knock down 3s in bunches even when he doesn't. And that creates the kind of spacing that makes everything else in the Pacers' offense work. His contributions to making the Pacers the highest-scoring and most efficient offense in the league go far beyond the points he actually scores.

"I think the one thing that people need to understand with Buddy Hield -- and I've played with him my whole career -- is the gravity that he has as a basketball player," Haliburton said. "His spacing even when he's not making shots -- which isn't often, I mean, he's one of the best shooters who's ever touched a basketball -- his gravity when he's on the floor and in our stack actions and in our movement actions, a lot of times, you have to respect what he does even if he's not making shots in the game. You have to run two at them and that kind of opens up everything for us."

After practice on Wednesday, backup point guard T.J. McConnell made a very similar case for Hield, and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle also made a point to single out Hield's contributions to the second unit on Tuesday night. Hield hasn't started the Pacers' last two games, so McConnell has had extensive work on the floor with him. Though Haliburton's relationship with Hield goes back to their days in Sacramento together, McConnell has been no less of a Hield defender.

"To the normal person, I don't think they realize how important Buddy Hield is to what we do," McConnell said. "Even if he's not shooting the ball. The attention he brings -- and they can get messed up on defense -- he's the best in the league at it. We love having him out there."

McConnell noted that outside shooting isn't Hield's only skill either. Hield is actually shooting a career-best 57.5% from inside the arc this season because he can get to the rim and finish off the dribble and can get open layups through timely cutting. He's also averaging 3.7 assists per 36 minutes this season, which is the second-highest figure of his career.

"He's been one of the best shooters in the NBA since he's gotten into the league," McConnell said. "The attention that teams bring because he's a gifted shooter and cutter and mover and passer. He's underrated in a lot of those categories that I mentioned. He's not underrated in shooting, but people don't really understand what he does for on offense. As simply as being selfless, taking yourself out of the play and creating open gaps for the point guards, he's elite at it."

Hield obviously has other flaws as well. On his best days -- of which Tuesday night was one -- he's a better than adequate defender. On his worst, he falls significantly short of that. However, he also has value as a clubhouse presence and a role model of a certain form for younger players. He's more than a bit eccentric, so his clubhouse voice isn't exactly captain-like, but his loud, joyful and more-than-occasionally mischievous personality is foundational to creating the Pacers' reputation as a fun team to play for. And his devotion to his specific crafts is unmatched -- and evident in his obsessive need to touch the ball during a game whenever it's out of play or to take warm-up shots until the last possible second -- so he serves as an example of a player who lives the game.

"The guy never has a bad day," McConnell said. "Ever. That's an elite skill to have, especially in this league. People look at the money we make and say we can't have a bad day. That's just not the case. We're human at the end of the day. The energy and charisma he brings to the locker room is unmatched."

So without saying it specifically, Hield's teammates seem to be making it clear they're hoping not to lose him some time between now and 3 p.m. on Thursday. Hield doesn't want to go either, but he's been traded twice at the deadline in his career and he knows how the league works. He and the Pacers didn't come to an extension agreement in the offseason and it's possible they could let him walk when July comes. He carries a $19.3 million cap hit this year. That means giving him a raise might be difficult for next season with Haliburton's five-year max contract extension about to kick in and the Pacers sure to attempt to sign Pascal Siakam to a max extension. It also means that if the Pacers want to try to make a big move, Hield is enticing to other contenders and makes it easy to match salaries.

Hield said after Tuesday night's game that he's not trying to think too much about being moved, but that he'll go wherever the game takes him.

"It's the business of basketball," Hield said. "One thing is I always thank God I have a jersey on me. You always appreciate that somebody wants you out there. If it happens, some team is going to get a Buddy who is ready to play and is excited for new opportunities. Right now I'm happy at Indiana and just taking it day-by-day and we'll see what happens."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: With trade deadline looming, Buddy Hield's teammates make his case