Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers are generating a buzz around the NBA. The team is young, fun, and very entertaining. They’re playing a delightful brand of basketball. Even if they lose a game, they’re still fun to watch.
This team seems to get along and genuinely enjoy one another. It still remains to be seen if they are a playoff team or not. However, we are drawing closer to that 30-game mark where you can really learn a lot about a team. For now, they are 12-8 on the season and coming off a buzzer-beater victory over the LA Lakers.
Tyrese Haliburton is on another planet right now
The Pacers are led by Haliburton, and he’s accompanied by rookies Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard. Two rookies who have greatly exceeded all expectations. Mathurin, the sixth overall pick, has made it his goal to torture the teams who took other players ahead of him.
Haliburton and Mathurin appear to be the backcourt duo the franchise will build around. They also are on a trajectory to be the very best backcourt the organization has ever had since joining the NBA. Meanwhile, Nembhard, who was the 31st overall pick, has pushed his way into the starting lineup. And even he looks like another surprise piece for the team to build with.
Back to Haliburton and his on-court abilities. For those that need a quick reminder, the Pacers acquired him at last year’s trade deadline. He’s been a big part of their recent turnaround, where the team has gone 2-1, and their one loss was to a legit playoff contender, the LA Clippers.
Maybe more shocking than the Pacers’ 12-8 record is the fact that Haliburton has gone three straight games without a turnover. In this stretch, he has accumulated 40 assists and the aforementioned zero turnovers. He is the first player in NBA history to accomplish this feat over a three-game stretch.
Related: NBA Rookie of the Year 2023: Bennedict Mathurin surpasses Paolo Banchero
Leading the NBA by a wide margin
If you think about how often the ball is in his hands or how common turnovers are in the game, it only makes this stat all the more impressive. It takes just one bad bounce or break. And yet he’s been perfect.
So, it should come as no shock that he leads the NBA in two categories, assists and assists per game. On the season, he has 225 assists. The next closest to him is Trae Young, with 188.
Haliburton has a total of 37 assists more than the second-place guy. Coincidentally, Young has 37 more assists than the guy in third place, Luka Doncic.
Considering Haliburton has the most assists in the NBA, it’s no surprise he leads in the assists per game category with 11.2. Young is again in second place at 9.4. Haliburton is averaging almost two more assists per game than Young. And for the season the rest of Haliburton’s stats are:
- 19.9 points
- 47.6 FG%
- 85% FT
- 4.7 rebounds
- 11.3 assists
- 1.8 steals
The last time NBA fans saw something close to this level of production from a point guard was Steve Nash’s MVP season in 2005-2006. He was 31 years old at the time, whereas Haliburton is currently 22 years old.
What Pacers fans are witnessing is truly something special. And not to be outdone by his future full-time backcourt mate. Mathurin is currently on pace to shatter the rookie record for made three-pointers that is held by Donovan Mitchell.
These two are special talents, and regardless of how this season turns out, this franchise has brought back a level of excitement and pride that hasn’t been seen in a few years.
Related: NBA MVP race 2022-23: Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo battling early on