Tyrese Haliburton, MVP? Pacers point guard fuels an epic offense
Through the first quarter of the NBA season, Indiana point guard Tyrese Haliburton finds himself with a chance to crack the league's all-time top 10 for assists per game in a season.
Haliburton leads the league with 12 assists per game — an impressive statistic that underscores his integral role in orchestrating the Pacers' offensive symphony. Surpassing John Stockton's record of 14.5 assists per game in the 1989-90 season is daunting yet achievable given Haliburton’s current standing.
“Tyrese is a great young player that has all the tools, has the personality and has the desire,” Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said recently, per the Associated Press. “The month, seven weeks that he’s put together so far in this season, people are talking about him for MVP, and rightly so."
An array of statistics highlight Indiana's offensive proficiency — and underscore Haliburton's value to the Pacers (13-9), who are fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Through Thursday's games, Indiana leads the league in points per game (128.4), offensive rating (123) field-goal percentage (50.1) and assists per game (30.3).
Haliburton's ability to thread passes and create scoring opportunities has propelled him to the top of the assist rankings and fueled Indiana's offense.
Haliburton has already set records this season, becoming the first NBA player to record 50+ points and 25+ assists without turning the ball over during a two-game span. (He has done it twice this season.) Haliburton is also the only player in league history with multiple games of 25+ points, 15+ assists and zero turnovers.
The convergence of Haliburton's pursuit of history and the Pacers' offensive supremacy has created an electrifying aura around the team. With Haliburton at the helm of this offense, the possibility of rewriting the assist record book seems within reach.
There's also the possibility of Haliburton becoming a Pacers "Pied Piper" — a draw to bring better players to Indiana.
"I'm gonna get you shots, I'm gonna make life easy for you, and we are going to win," Haliburton told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
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