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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 25: T.J. McConnell #9 of the Indiana Pacers looks to pass as Jalen … [+] Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks defends at Madison Square Garden on October 25, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers made one of their statistical goals clear early in the season – they want to lead the league in passes. With a deep roster filled with talented players that are committed to a certain style, the blue and gold have the makeup required to top the NBA in ball movement.
Head coach Rick Carlisle has stated this goal multiple times throughout the ongoing campaign. In 2023-24, the Pacers ranked first in passes per game according to the league’s tracking numbers. Only Indiana and Sacramento threw the rock around more than 300 times per game.
This season, six teams are flinging the ball around that often. The Pacers are once again one of them, but they currently only rank second in passes per game at 329. The Golden State Warriors top them just barely with 331.
What makes the Pacers unique is that they are the only team throwing that many passes that has a top-1o offense. Indiana ranks eighth in offensive rating – the other teams throwing over 300 passes per game are the Phoenix Suns (11th), Golden State (16th), the Chicago Bulls (17th), the Toronto Raptors (26th), and the Brooklyn Nets (27th).
There appears to be little correlation between a high-powered offense and a significant number of passes. If anything, the opposite appears more true. Yet the Pacers are breaking that trend and scoring often thanks to their ideals when it comes to ball movement.
Make Money Online Why do the Pacers want to pass so much?
It’s working for the second season in a row – the blue and gold finished second in offensive rating in 2023-24. “Unselfishness is just a theme for the team and what I believe the team’s makeup is. Starting with [Tyrese Haliburton]
and our point guards, and then our best players on down,” Carlisle said of his hopes to be a high-volume passing team earlier this week.
Having Haliburton makes a lot possible. He’s one of the best passers in the NBA, and there might not be a better guard in the association at moving the rock. His vision is elite. In the open floor, he almost always makes the right read.
It’s contagious. Others follow suit and keep the ball moving. Everyone on the Pacers roster is a good passer for their position or at least is improving in that area. They all know the offense system well. Most players call it a “random” offense – they play off of each other. It’s random to their opponents, but the Pacers know exactly what to do and where to move the ball.
Other, non-Haliburton guards can keep the ball popping, too. T.J. McConnell is a terrific setup man for Indiana’s second unit and ranks ninth in the NBA in assists per 36 minutes. Andrew Nembhard, a two-man who is naturally a point guard, has nights where his shot creation looks exceptional. Indiana loves to use two floor generals on the floor at the same time, and it adds to their high-volume of passing.
INGLEWOOD, CA – FEBRUARY 06: Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) looks to pass during the NBA … [+] game between the Indiana Pacers and the Los Angeles Clippers on February 06, 2025, at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“I don’t think there’s anything that can be bad about it unless you’re just overpassing,” Carlisle said of his hope to lead the league in passes.
Haliburton as an individual ranks second in the league with 75 passes per night. Only Nikola Jokic is higher, and no other player is above 66 passes per contest. Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, McConnell, and Nembhard all toss between 33 and 44 passes on average.
Even some of the members of the blue and gold who are thought of as play finishers – Obi Toppin and Myles Turner, for example – throw over 25 passess per game. Everyone is involved in the Pacers pursuit of leading the league in this stat. They’re close, but just short so far this year after leading last campaign.
“We try to create as many tough situations for defenses as we can, and rapid ball movement helps,” Carlisle said. The ball, thrown quickly, moves faster than any individual player can. It helps the Pacers execute their up-tempo style when they move the ball well.
The Pacers do throw a lot of passes that aren’t to a shooter. Despite being second in ball movement, Indiana is 16th in potential assists. Their assist-to-pass ratio ranks near the bottom of the league. Yet unlike other teams, that doesn’t hurt them. That’s largely because the Pacers are such a low turnover team – they rank fifth-best in turnover rate despite their frequent ball movement.
It speaks to their connectivity as a team. That unique style is what makes them who they are. Haliburton makes a lot of it possible, but it’s a team-based style. The Pacers cut up their opponents with passing, and it’s hard to stop when it clicks.
“The ball is just moving. We’re playing really well offensively,” Haliburton said just after a game in January. The Pacers had won eight of their last 11 games at the time and had just toppled the Suns.
Indiana is just short of first place when it comes to passes per game. Their goal is within sight. While other high-volume passing teams struggle to score at a high-level, it works for the Pacers. They’re trying to make it their identity.
