The anatomy of the Pacers' speedy offense

Indiana has taken the league by storm with a fast-paced, multi-faceted offense.

Tyrese Haliburton and the upstart Indiana Pacers couldn’t quite overcome LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the In-Season Tournament Final, but they’ve proven to everyone that they’re a legit threat. Their frolicking wins over Milwaukee and Boston to make the final were statements.

This team has been blitzing opponents all year with no signs of slowing down. Their offensive rating of 123.5 would be the highest in NBA history if the season ended today, primarily because of their unprecedented transition game.

They play at the fastest pace in the league and constantly beat teams down the court. Haliburton leads the league in assists and revs the engine every time he gets the ball — feeding his teammates easy shots.

With Haliburton throwing outlet passes, players like Obi Toppin, Aaron Nesmith, and Bennedict Mathurin feast on slow opponents. Toppin, for instance, is shooting 77 percent on two-pointers, including 86 percent at the rim(!).

There’s something more than pure speed at play, though. Indiana’s teamwide emphasis on pace requires buy-in from everyone and, obviously, incredible conditioning. It also requires intuitive decision-making. Players have to be conscious of where to run and how to space the floor.

That extends to their early shot clock offense, which is a big part of their success. If they get stopped from an easy transition bucket, they go right into their offense without slowing down. Haliburton will get a screen from somebody and the machine whirs on.

Take this pick-and-roll, which happens before the defense gets fully set:

Haliburton’s sprinting into a ball-screen before his defender, Malik Beasley, realizes anything is coming.

Notice, too, the spacing. Buddy Hield starts on Haliburton’s side, but jogs across to the other side of the court as Haliburton gets the ball. That’s intentional, and the Pacers do that often. The point is distraction; Hield’s defender, Damian Lillard, is too worried about Hield’s movement to consider helping off the ball.

The Pacers never let defenses settle. They’re moving and cutting all the time. Haliburton scores 1.27 points per possession when he shoots out of a pick and roll — in the 97th percentile of all players. Teams are wary of helping at the rim because Haliburton will punish them with passes:

That’s Giannis Antetokounmpo blocking his path! This pass feels like it should be impossible.

Indiana gets all the right shots. Despite their relatively small size, they get to the rim more than all but two teams and convert 67 percent of their shots there — one of the best marks in the league. They generate heaps of threes and rarely shoot long twos.

There’s no clear second fiddle next to Haliburton, but most everyone can make smart decisions with the ball and hit open threes. Myles Turner, perpetually underrated, makes the system work thanks to his dual ability to roll to the rim and pop for threes. All of their wings are smart about attacking closeouts and making the next play.

Hield, shooting 38 percent from three, is a weapon. Coach Rick Carlisle, clearly having tons of fun, draws up plays for him. Hield likes to set “ghost” screens for Haliburton — meaning he sprints through without making much, if any, contact:

This causes defenses all sorts of confusion. They can’t figure out whether they should switch or not, and by the time they figure it out, Hield is sprinting away for a three. Sometimes Haliburton uses the advantage to drive, and sometimes Hield gets an open look.

Another Pacers favorite is the “Spain” pick and roll, with a guy setting a back-screen on a big man defending a ball-screen:

Hield is usually the back-screener because of his shooting gravity. He’s creative about varying the way he gets open. Sometimes he lingers in the paint before sprinting away, without even setting a screen. Haliburton makes the right decision every time.

Nobody has really figured out how to stop this. The Lakers did a reputable job in the tournament final by hedging Haliburton’s pick-and-rolls — putting two on the ball with LeBron lurking behind. Still, the Pacers generated plenty of good looks.

Indiana’s defense is … not as good as their offense, but they seem very aware of their weaknesses. Realizing they struggle to stop the ball, the Pacers hug three-point shooters on the perimeter and allow a parade of layups, hoping the math works in their favor eventually. As Michael Pina wrote at The Ringer, they take way more threes on average than their opponent.

This team has a ways to go before they become a big time playoff contender, but they’re far ahead of where they thought they’d be. They are rumored to be interested in a big two-way wing on the trade market — possibly Pascal Siakam. Haliburton is good enough to justify pushing the chips in.