No. 10 Pick in 2020: Tyrese Haliburton (G, Iowa State) (12)
Original Pick: Jalen Smith (F/C, Maryland)
A bit like with Dončić, any (inhales) Bulls, Cavaliers, Hawks, Pistons, Knicks, Wizards, Suns, or Spurs “what if” piece has to include the harsh reality that Tyrese Haliburton—a potential franchise guy in Indiana—was just hanging out for all of them to take.
It’s not the same level as Dončić, as injury concerns have kept the young guard off the court, but the upside with Haliburton is unparalleled. He is a freak athlete, an unbelievable distributor and plainly one of the best three-point shooters in the league, which is basically everything you’d want out of a modern NBA player.
https://twitter.com/KGsGOAT/status/1670514104660893697
Haliburton can play both guard spots, can be successful with and without the ball, and has enough size to switch onto larger players on both ends. When you put it like that, he sounds perfect.
But the best ability is availability, and that hasn’t traditionally been Haliburton’s strong suit. He missed huge chunks of the last season with various ankle, knee and wrist issues, and has to stay on the court if he is going to take a leap to the next level of premier players.
But on the mythical super-Suns, he doesn’t even need to stay healthy! He can play limited minutes behind the best guard room in NBA history, and absolutely shred when he does play. It’s a win-win, and everybody else will lose! Mwahahaha.