Pacers Report Cards: Grading every Pacers player through the All-Star break
By Mueez Azfar
Tyrese Haliburton
Stats: 44 Games, 32 MPG, 21.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 11.7 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 2.4 TOV, 1 FPG 49.2/40/85.3 Splits on 62.6% TS
2022-23 Stats: 56 Games, 33.6 MPG, 20.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 10.4 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 2.5 TOV, 1.2 FPG 49/40/87.1 Splits on 62.4% TS
Starting with a bang, aren't we?
What is there to say about Tyrese Haliburton that hasn't been said yet? After a breakout 2022-23 season where he made his first All-Star team and led Indiana to playoff contention before injury issues more or less sidelined him and those playoff hopes for the rest of the season, Haliburton came back in the 2023-24 season with a chip on his shoulder, eager to prove himself further as a legit alpha dog on a playoff team.
So far, he has done all that and more, with the Pacers sitting at a 31-25 record, currently the sixth seed in the East, with Haliburton leading the show.
From an individual standpoint, Haliburton has improved all facets of his game, from scoring to efficiency (recently tanked due to injury recovery) to even playmaking somehow. After averaging a fantastic 10.4 assists per game the previous year, Haliburton has upped that average to an even more spectacular 11.7 per game, by far and away the league leader, and currently on pace to be the 21st leading assists per game season in NBA history.
In addition to these incredible averages, Haliburton has made his name known in NBA circles as something of a big-time player, stepping up on the big stage in matchups against the Celtics and Bucks, both of whom he led the Pacers to victory against in the In-Season Tournament, which was where a lot of his media publicity came from.
Unfortunately, after a hamstring tear sidelined him for some games in January and limited his minutes in February, Haliburton's minutes and averages dropped, but he is determined to return stronger than ever in the second half of the season and continue the magic he and the Pacers have built together so far en route to a playoff run.