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Tyrese Haliburton sets Indiana Pacers single-season franchise assist record on a night the Pacers needed him
Haliburton had 11 assists last night
INDIANAPOLIS — No player in Indiana Pacers history has tossed more assists in one season than Tyrese Haliburton.
Friday night, Haliburton became the Pacers assist king. He set up his teammates 11 times for baskets in a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the 11th assist gave him 714 this season. That handed him Indiana's franchise record for single-season assists — Mark Jackson previously held the crown with 713 dimes in 1997-98.
Their styles are contrasting yet similar. Jackson pounded the rock and played a methodical, practical style. Haliburton is much flashier. He leaps in the air and throws dazzling, defense-bending passes. He lobs the ball up, flings it down, and turns openings into chasms of space for his teammates.
"Mark was a great player... he was a real master. Tyrese has a lot of the same qualities. He has the vision, he knows his personnel. He has a great sense for timing, when to deliver the ball, how to deliver it," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said on Friday night. Carlisle was an assistant coach during Jackson's record-setting season — he's seen the two best passing seasons in Indiana history up close.
Haliburton's record could not have come at a better time. The Pacers needed to win on Friday. They were battling a good Oklahoma City Thunder team led by a creative coach in Mark Daigneault. That OKC group was doing everything they could to prevent Haliburton from scoring, and the Pacers star guard took just eight shots. It was only the sixth time this season that he attempted fewer than 10 field goals in a game.
To have an impact, Haliburton was going to have to pass and set his teammates up. He's elite in that area, but he was seeing pressure from a long, young, and quick Thunder team.
It was no issue. Haliburton threw 76 passes, per the NBA's tracking data. That's nearly half a dozen more than his season average. It led to 11 assists, his 38th game with at least that many this season. The 11th, and final, assist came in a pick-and-pop with Aaron Nesmith. Nesmith ran into open space, Haliburton drew two defenders, and he bounced the ball to his wing teammate for a three. It was the dagger shot that sealed Indiana's win.
"Tyrese Haliburton is defined by winning, not by scoring. He's defined by what a great teammate he is and by how he helps his teammates win games. He was patient, he was disciplined," Carlisle said of Haliburton's performance.
That 11th assist was also the one that gave the 24-year old the franchise record. It only took him 65 regular season games to make it happen. Jackson, meanwhile, played in all 82 games during his 713 assist season.
"It's a really cool achievement for me. I think it just speaks to the high octane offense we've been able to create here," Haliburton said. He credited his teammates for actually making shots all season, a requirement to actually earn assists.
Haliburton said he doesn't have any sort of relationship with Jackson. Outside of being elite passers for the same franchise, they have no connections.
They do share a position, though, and they both led excellent Pacers teams. Haliburton, to become the assist king, has been studying passers from before and after Jackson's era for years. As a kid, the All-Star guard's father would show him Magic Johnson highlights, and Haliburton was internet savvy enough to find more himself.
When he was older, Haliburton would stay up late to watch Chris Paul and his favorite player, LeBron James — two terrific passers. It helped him grow as a facilitator even when not playing, and now he's one of the best distributors in the NBA.
"One of, if not the, most elite passer I've ever played with or seen. I can't wrap my mind around it," Pacers backup point guard T.J. McConnell said of his teammate. Forward Pascal Siakam added that Haliburton is perhaps the best passer he's ever played with — mentioning only Kyle Lowry as a possible equal in his answer. "So easy for him. He has that vision," Siakam said of Haliburton's passing.
Haliburton's favorite assist this season wasn't actually an assist at all. Late in the first quarter of a February game against the New Orleans Pelicans, the star guard was racing up the floor without a defender in sight. The closest player on the court? His teammate, Obi Toppin.
Even with just a few seconds on the clock, Haliburton threw the ball off the backboard. Toppin caught it and threw down a dunk, igniting the crowd. The Pacers won that night. Tosses off the backboard don't count as assists, but it was still a sensational pass from Haliburton that set up a teammate for points.
Had that one counted, Haliburton would be at 715 assists instead of 714. It didn't count, though, but the Pacers star still reached the franchise record. Every dime he throws from here on out will add to his tally. And Carlisle thinks that the record will grow in future, injury-free seasons.
"He's gonna shatter that record even more next year when he doesn't miss (games)," the head coach said. Haliburton is a deserving record holder, and he captured the spot on the franchise leaderboard on a night that Indiana needed him to distribute.
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