Tyrese Haliburton just did something that's never been done in NBA history

Tyrese Haliburton just did something that’s never been done in NBA history

Posted by author March 3, 2025 NBA

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INDIANAPOLIS — Tyrese Haliburton‘s recent stretch of brilliant play has allowed him to do something no other NBA player has ever achieved.

According to the Pacers’ X account — which cited the account Stat Mamba — the Pacers‘ two-time All-Star point guard became the first player in NBA history to record 500 assists in a season before recording 100 turnovers.

Haliburton entered Sunday’s game against the Bulls with 499 assists against 99 turnovers on the season. He posted his first assist 33 seconds into the game, hitting guard Andrew Nembhard for a 3-pointer. It was the first of 12 assists, and his first and only turnover didn’t come until the second quarter. He now has 511 assists and exactly 100 turnovers on the season.

Haliburton’s assist numbers are still down from last season. He’s averaging 8.8 per game, and though that puts him fourth in the NBA, it’s down from the 10.9 per game he averaged to lead the league last year. However, his 1.7 turnovers per game are well below last year’s 2.3 per game and the lowest number since he posted 1.6 per game in Sacramento in his rookie year. His 5.11 assist-to-turnover ratio is second only to San Antonio’s Chris Paul (5.27) among players who average at least 25 minutes per game.

His ratio has even been dramatically better than that since the All-Star break. He’s recorded double figure assists in each of the past five games and at least nine in each of the six games since the break. He has 69 assists — an average of 11.5 per game — in that stretch compared to just six total turnovers, exactly 1.0 per game.

He’s also averaging 23.2 points per game in that stretch, shooting 60.7% from the floor and 53.2% from 3-point range. The only two players averaging at least 20 points per game since the All-Star break who are shooting a better percentage from the floor are Utah forward John Collins and Pelicans forward Zion Williamson. The only players averaging 20 points per game and shooting better than Haliburton from 3 since the break are Chicago’s Josh Giddey, Denver’s Jamal Murray and Sacramento’s Zach LaVine.

“I’m just trying to make the right play,” Haliburton said. “I know I’ve been up and down this year, but this is what I do. I pride myself on taking care of the ball and getting guys open shots. We have a lot of guys making shots right now, so that definitely helps. The way our system is and what we’ve built the last few years, the ball is always hopping. Guys are trusting me with the ball in my hands and I’m just trying to make the right play.”