Last season, the Sacramento Kings scored 119.4 points per 100 possessions, a new record for offensive rating. This year, the Indiana Pacers are scoring 123.8 points per 100 possessions, shattering the record by over 4 points a game! At the helm of all of that is Tyrese Haliburton. ‘Rese is averaging 27 points per game and 11.8 assists per game, all on an insane true shooting percentage of 67.2%. For reference, that is higher than most big men in the NBA. Stephen Curry holds the highest career TS% by a guard with 62%! If Tyrese keeps up his historic efficiency, he can shatter the record books. Folks, we are witnessing offensive history with Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers. Let’s dive right into it.

We’ll return to Tyrese in a moment, for now, let’s talk about what helps the Pacers score so many points. As of Dec 6th, the Pacers are leading the lead in assist-to-turnover ratio, with 2.38. That means that for every turnover they make, they make 2.38 assists. The worst in the league is the Trailblazers, with 1.34. That’s just for reference. On the same note, the Pacers also lead the league in FG% and TS%. The Pacers continue to push the pace, leading the league in pace.

Now to talk about Tyrese Haliburton. Rather than looking at just the numbers, we should admire the beauty of his game. ‘Rese is dropping dimes, getting involved in every play, shooting lethally. 

Firstly, let’s talk about his scoring. Hali has taken a leap this year, that’s for sure. This season, as of December 12th, he has taken 334 shots and made 174 of them. That’s a 52.1% field goal rating. Of those shots, 170 of them have been threes, and he’s made 76 threes. That’s a whopping 44.7% of them! Hali’s other primary scoring option comes from within seven feet. He has a sweet hook game, the ability to make perfect floaters, and he can take himself to the rack. Out of the 105 shots he’s taken in that range this season, Hali has made 69 of them, putting him at 65.7%.

Now we need to talk about his assist game. Haliburton has many options on the wing such as Bruce Brown, Benedict Mathurin, and Buddy Hield. He has his big pick-and-roll with Myles Turner and Isiah Jackson. Tyrese also has other options, such as Obi Toppin and Aaron Neismith. The way to maximize his abilities would be to get him an athletic two-way wing, like Lebron James. Mathurin isn’t there yet, and obviously, Lebron isn’t going to leave the Lakers. This player would need to be a secondary star along with Tyrese to maximize his game. Some ideas that I think could be viable for the Pacers to do would be Jaden McDaniels, RJ Barrett, and maybe Franz Wagner.

The point is, Tyrese and the Pacers are solidifying themselves as serious contenders in the East. They made it to the In-Season Tournament Finals, to lose to the Lakers. They still made it though, and had to outduel many formidable opponents such as the Bucks and Celtics. The Pacers are one move away from championship contention. At the helm of all of that, is their best player, Tyrese Haliburton.