Tyrese Haliburton was already a standout player in the NBA. He was the 12th pick in the 2020 draft. He earned a spot on the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2021. He was an NBA All-Star in 2023.
He's taken his game to another level to begin the 2023-24 season. Haliburton has emerged as the league's best point guard, helping to power the Pacers to the In-Season Tournament final in what has been by far his best season to date.
His overall numbers are impressive in their own right. He's 13th in points per game (26.9) and leads the league in assists per game (12.1). He has the fourth-highest player efficiency rating in the league, trailing only Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
But taking a deeper look into some of the key stats behind his breakout season and how he's helped the Pacers you see just how valuable he's been so far this year.
Here's a few stats you need to know on Haliburton's campaign.
Tyrese Haliburton stats to know
Improved shooting
Haliburton's game has improved all around in 2023. Part of it has to do with his 3-point shooting.
Last season, Haliburton shot 40 percent from 3-point range. He's up to 44.1 percent, 2.7 percent above the previous highest rate of his career (41.4 percent in 2021-22).
According to the NBA, he is tied with Luka Doncic for the league lead with the most pull-up 3-point attempts in the league at 7.3 per game. He's also tied with Doncic with 3.1 pull-up 3-point makes per game.
MORE: Haliburton's Stephen Curry-like shooting stats has Pacers guard playing at superstar level
That improved versatility in his game has led to a significantly improved true shooting percentage. He had a TS% of 62.4 percent in 2022-23, which was, at the time, a career-best. This year, he's up to 67.4 percent, a 5 percent jump.
That rate also ranks as the highest for any player in NBA history also averaging at least 20 points per game and 10 assists per game, coming in well above Magic Johnson's 62.5 true shooting percentage in 1988-89.
Haliburton's turnover-free play
Perhaps most striking about Haliburton's hot start to the year has been his ability to make plays without turning the ball over.
According to Stathead, only 15 players in NBA history have had a game in which they scored at least 25 points, assisted on 15 or more scores and did not turn the ball over. Haliburton is the only player to have done it multiple times. All three occasions have come since Nov. 12, 2023.
On the year, he has 217 total assists and just 40 turnovers, good for a 5.42 assist-to-turnover ratio, which ranks fifth in the league. According to Stathead, there have been only two other players in NBA history to have at least 200 assists and 40 turnovers or fewer through their team's first 20 games: John Lucas in 1977-78 (222 assists, 19 turnovers) and Kevin Porter in 1978-79 (206 assists, 35 turnovers).
Pacers' offensive rating
Haliburton has been among the best players in the league to begin the 2023-24 season. And his success has elevated the Pacers as a team.
Last year, the Pacers finished the season ranked 21st in the league in offensive rating at 113.8. Indiana has now vaulted all the way to first in the NBA, up to 123.5.
Haliburton leads all players this season in offensive rating at 126.7, flanked by teammates Myles Turner, Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin and Buddy Hield.
And that offensive rating has led to points. Indiana is the highest-scoring offense in the league, averaging 128.4 points per game, a jump from 10th last year at 116.3 points per game.
Tyrese Haliburton 2023-24 stats
| G | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | FG-FGA (FG%) | 3P-3PA (3P%) | eFG% |
| 18 | 34.4 | 26.9 | 4.2 | 12.1 | 9.4-17.9 (52.5%) | 3.9-8.9 (44.1%) | 63.5% |
