High praise for Kings’ Tyrese Haliburton at USA Basketball training camp in Las Vegas
One of the first things Kings coach Luke Walton and his staff noticed about Tyrese Haliburton when he came to Sacramento was his incredible feel for the game. It hasn’t taken Haliburton long to make the same impression in Las Vegas, where he is training with USA Basketball.
Haliburton is part of a 17-man U.S. Select Team that is in Las Vegas this week to help Team USA get ready for the Summer Olympics. The Select Team, which wraps up its four-day stay on Friday, is scrimmaging against the U.S. Men’s National Team as it prepares for the Tokyo Games.
Haliburton, 21, said it has been a thrill to play with Select Team standouts, which include Anthony Edwards and Saddiq Bey, and established stars from Team USA, including Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal.
“This is a dream of mine for basically my whole life, so it’s really cool to be here with some of the best guys in the world and competing,” Haliburton said during a video conference call with media on Wednesday. “It’s been really fun.”
Select Team assistant coach Mark Few offered rave reviews when he was asked about Haliburton’s poise and leadership abilities.
“Gosh, the first thing that I think our whole staff picked up on with him was just what a great mind he has and his basketball intelligence and how quickly he picks up on things,” Few said.
“He’s very perceptive about things. And then also (he is) a great communicator and is able to share kind of what he sees out on the floor, what he’s experiencing, and kind of put it into coachspeak. So those are two great aspects to have when you’re looking for a leader out there on the floor because you know he’s kind of connected and understands what we’re trying to get done here.”
Haliburton displayed the same traits in Sacramento after the Kings selected him out of Iowa State with the No. 12 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He was a Rookie of the Year finalist and NBA All-Rookie First Team selection after averaging 13.0 points, 5.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals in his first season with the Kings. He missed the last eight games of the season after hyperextending his left knee, but he is healthy now and has been working out in Sacramento for the past month.
Haliburton demonstrated impressive poise and composure for a first-year NBA player, showing tremendous instincts at both ends of the floor. He’s showing some of that in Las Vegas as well.
“I think that’s how he plays,” Few said. “The game slows down for him a little bit and he’s got a really, really good feel for the game.”
Select Team teammate Keldon Johnson agreed with Few’s assessment.
“He’s a real good communicator,” Johnson said. “He’s an intelligent player. Just having him out there, helping us get organized is big, definitely with us being a new group.”
Haliburton earned all-tournament honors while helping the United States win a gold medal at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Greece. For now, he is soaking up this experience with the Select Team, but one day he hopes to be among the players representing the United States in the Olympic Games.
“I think it’s one of the highest points of our sport, being able to put the USA across your chest and play for a gold medal,” Haliburton said. “Growing up as a kid, just watching Kobe (Bryant) and KD and (LeBron James) and those guys win gold, that stuff’s amazing to see them going up against other countries. To be able to do it myself would obviously be a dream come true.”
This story was originally published July 8, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
