NBA Draft Preview: Should the Sacramento Kings make room for Tyrese Haliburton?
There’s two things you need to know about the 2020 NBA Draft class. First, while there are no truly elite prospects, there is a clear top-two in Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball. Secondly, there’s a group of 10 prospects after that which form a consensus second tier, but could truly be selected in any order.
Of that group, we’ve covered James Wiseman, Isaac Okoro, Devin Vassell and Tyrese Maxey. That means there’s six other strong lottery options out there, any of which could fall fortuitously into Sacramento’s lap.
Tyrese Haliburton, a 6-foot-5 guard from Iowa State, is one who brings up some interesting questions for the Sacramento Kings. He’s a fantastic shooter, a gifted passer and a skilled defender. But he’s also heavily redundant with the current Kings roster.
Guards like Haliburton will push Sacramento’s management to make difficult decisions. If the best player on the board is a guard, do the Kings restructure their strongest position? Is a player like Haliburton good enough to make Buddy Hield or Bogdan Bogdanovic expendable?
Let’s find out.
STRENGTHS
Haliburton is a tremendous shooter off the catch. He hit 51.5 percent of his spot-up jumpers, one of the best figures in the nation. Many of those came from 3-point range, where he finished with a total conversion rate of 41.9 percent. He’s not quite as good while moving or when picking up his dribble, but Haliburton’s shooting is strong nonetheless.
He is also a very strong playmaker. Haliburton averaged 6.5 assists per game, with many of those coming from pick-and-rolls. Many NBA executives and coaches, including Sacramento’s Luke Walton, believe the pick-and-roll is the most important play in the game. Haliburton’s gift for reading defenders will be a huge asset for him.
Haliburton reads opponents well when defending, too. He’s a very intelligent player that can look like a mind reader when anticipating drives and passes. He averaged an incredible 2.5 steals per game, and will be an off-ball stud on defense. Steal rate is one of the best indicators for a prospect’s success at the next level, and Haliburton has analytic teams salivating.
Even though he has high-end tools when shooting, passing and defending, it’s the little things Haliburton does that are often the most impressive. He always looks like the most aware player on the court and he has a knack for being in the right spot at the right time. His feel for the game is phenomenal.
WEAKNESSES
The biggest concerns are related to his size and frame. Height and wingspan aren’t an issue for Haliburton, but his weight definitely is. He is tall and long and built like a twig. Not many 175-pound players make a big impact as pros. He will have to work hard to fill out and add strength.
His weight hurts his interior game in a major way. He is a good finisher with great touch when he gets to the basket, but he just can’t get there often. Finishing at the basket, getting to the free-throw line, and even rebounding will get a lot more difficult among the big bodies in the NBA.
His size was a problem at the college level when defending one-on-one. He does pretty well against point guards, but as soon as Haliburton has to slow down 200-pound players, his game starts to fall apart. He’s going to get pushed around by stronger guards for a few years at least, and potentially for his entire career.
There’s one more oddity in Haliburton’s game that can’t go without discussion. While his shooting numbers were fantastic, his form is downright terrifying. He loads the ball from a very low position and there’s a bit of a hitch in his release. If an NBA team tries to rebuild his shot into something more sustainable, he may lose whatever strange magic is making it work.
FIT WITH THE KINGS
Let’s pause for a second to consider what the Kings have invested into their guard rotation. A top-five pick in De’Aaron Fox who will soon be on a maximum contract, a massive new raise for Hield, likely a similar upcoming deal for Bogdanovic, and one of the most expensive backup point guard contracts in the league for Cory Joseph.
That’s a whole heck of a lot. Even if the Kings were to trade Joseph, the trio of Fox, Hield and Bogdanovic could take up more than half of the Kings payroll over the next four years. It would be irresponsible to invest another lottery pick on a guard without the intention to break that trio up.
Haliburton has a ton of upside. He might even have an outside chance to be the best player in this draft. But there’s a better chance that he is a bit of a project, and the Kings would have to give up on a sure thing to make room for him.
It’s simply not worth it. A pick like Haliburton represents a lot of risk, while the Kings could improve just as much by playing it safe. Aaron Nesmith and Saddiq Bey are simple plug-and-play options that are almost guaranteed to be available when the Kings make their selection.
Unless the Kings are ready to completely change their core, Haliburton is the wrong pick.
This story was originally published May 29, 2020 at 4:00 AM.