Here’s what Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton is doing right as the team improves
Kings interim coach Alvin Gentry knows the importance of steadiness in the NBA. He’s been in the league since 1988 and Sacramento is his 10th coaching stop. He wouldn’t have worked at the sport’s highest level so long without understanding the value in consistency.
That fuels a common message Gentry has for a team that sits at 15-21 following Wednesday’s last-second win over the Dallas Mavericks. Gentry often talks of consistency being the key for the Kings to stabilize a season that’s been anything but. They’re half a game behind the San Antonio Spurs (14-19) for the No. 10 seed and the last spot in the play-in tournament.
It’s been a turbulent month for Gentry and his team while trying to navigate the COVID-19 situation with players entering and leaving the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
But a hint of consistency has emerged from second-year guard Tyrese Haliburton, who posted his sixth double-double in seven games during Wednesday’s win over Dallas. He had just three such games during his entire 58-game rookie campaign — and three double-doubles over his first 23 games this season.
“I think, by far, it’s the most consistent he’s played,” Gentry said Wednesday. “He’s figured out the league, he knows what he can be good at, he knows where he can get his shots from. The guys understand that if they roll and get to open areas, he’s going to find them. So all of those things are really good and obviously if you go over the last six games and look and see what he’s done, the consistency has been there from the standpoint of assists and shooting the basketball.”
Over his last seven contests, Haliburton is averaging over 21 points and 10.3 assists, numbers that nearly double his season averages of 13.5 points and 6.5 assists coming into Wednesday after Sacramento made him the No. 12 pick of the 2020 draft. His increased production came at the same time fellow guard De’Aaron Fox was placed in the health and safety protocols Dec. 16.
The next day, Haliburton posted 21 points, 10 assists and 6 rebounds in a loss to the Memphis Grizzles, before scoring 27, 24 and 22 points over his next three contests. His five highest scoring games of the season have come since Fox was sidelined.
“I think with guys out I knew I had to step up and be better,” Haliburton said. “I hold myself to a high standard. I work really really hard. That’s just a (product) of how hard I’ve been working.”
The Kings have maintained they have no plans to trade one of their two young guards (Haliburton is 21 and Fox turned 24 Dec. 20). But they might at least consider dealing one of the two players given their positional overlap — and the fact Fox is playing on a max contract he signed Nov. 2020 paying him $163 million over five seasons. Haliburton is two years into a four-year, $17.9 million rookie deal.
Haliburton is growing more comfortable as he continues to get used to NBA defenses and his teammates. And perhaps his assist numbers would increase if the Kings had more proficient spot-up shooters. Their 34% on 3s as a team ranks 24th in the NBA, though Haliburton leads the team by making 42.2% of his shots from distance.
His teammates have grown more accustomed to moving without the ball knowing there’s a good chance Haliburton will find them to set up good shots.
“Tyrese sees everything on the floor,” rookie guard Davion Mitchell said. “If you’re open, he’s always going to give it to you. He always makes the right play. Coming off the ball screens, always looking for his teammates. Sometimes he needs to shoot more, we tell him he needs to shoot the ball more. But he’s doing a really good job of running our team, getting us involved and just keep being a really good point guard.”
Haliburton’s confidence appears to be growing. He tried a step-back, 26-foot 3-pointer with 1:49 remaining Wednesday while it was tied at 90. The ball rimmed out, but Gentry viewed his willingness to take the shot as a sign of development.
“I like the fact he wasn’t afraid to take the big shot,” Gentry said. “It kind of went in and out on him, but the fact he was willing to take it was growth in itself.”
In a frustrating season for the Kings, Haliburton’s steadiness could be a silver lining during a year where they’ve been hard to come by.
This story was originally published December 30, 2021 at 8:28 AM.
