I hadn't seen this posted yet from SI. A little piece on Haliburton as THE SUPER SLEEPER prospect:
https://www.si.com/nba/2019/03/04/nba-draft-coby-white-ochai-agbaji-prospects-march-madness
The Super Sleeper: Tyrese Haliburton, Iowa State
Although Haliburton is another player who seems like a better bet for the 2020 draft, the unheralded freshman has become a serious person of interest for NBA teams. The possibility of a productive March remains on the table, and as we’ve written dating back to January, Haliburton should at least be in good position to test the draft and get feedback. His case is certainly a strange one, as his scoring contributions and overall shot diversity have been minimal, but his brilliant feel for basketball is extremely evident and is something that has to be experienced over the course of a full game to properly comprehend. It will be hard for Haliburton to be a first-round pick while averaging less than 10 points per game, plus the fact he needs to get much stronger and he shoots a funky shot, but it can’t be stressed enough how impressive he’s been from a feel standpoint all season.
Haliburton’s pathway to going one-and-done may be inherently paradoxical, although frankly, he’s good enough that there should be no guilt discussing it—while NBA teams would undoubtedly love to see more of what he can do as a scorer and ball-handler, one of his strengths is how unselfishly he’s fit into Iowa State’s system (he had a remarkable 17-assist game early in the season), which generally features four ballhandlers at a time. In other words, it’s unlikely he breaks from what makes him so good to showcase other elements of his game that could turn more heads. But Iowa State does want him to shoot the ball more frequently, and he’s certainly capable of doing more from an individual perspective. Part of the beauty of the way he plays is how often he makes the correct choice to facilitate instead.
The prevailing thought is that returning to school would let him spend most of his time at point guard, thus creating a huge window for him to make a case as a first-round pick in 2020. Still, there are some (myself included) who already view him as a first-round talent, and stranger things have happened. He’s a player to watch closely, just in case.
https://www.si.com/nba/2019/03/04/nba-draft-coby-white-ochai-agbaji-prospects-march-madness
The Super Sleeper: Tyrese Haliburton, Iowa State
Although Haliburton is another player who seems like a better bet for the 2020 draft, the unheralded freshman has become a serious person of interest for NBA teams. The possibility of a productive March remains on the table, and as we’ve written dating back to January, Haliburton should at least be in good position to test the draft and get feedback. His case is certainly a strange one, as his scoring contributions and overall shot diversity have been minimal, but his brilliant feel for basketball is extremely evident and is something that has to be experienced over the course of a full game to properly comprehend. It will be hard for Haliburton to be a first-round pick while averaging less than 10 points per game, plus the fact he needs to get much stronger and he shoots a funky shot, but it can’t be stressed enough how impressive he’s been from a feel standpoint all season.
Haliburton’s pathway to going one-and-done may be inherently paradoxical, although frankly, he’s good enough that there should be no guilt discussing it—while NBA teams would undoubtedly love to see more of what he can do as a scorer and ball-handler, one of his strengths is how unselfishly he’s fit into Iowa State’s system (he had a remarkable 17-assist game early in the season), which generally features four ballhandlers at a time. In other words, it’s unlikely he breaks from what makes him so good to showcase other elements of his game that could turn more heads. But Iowa State does want him to shoot the ball more frequently, and he’s certainly capable of doing more from an individual perspective. Part of the beauty of the way he plays is how often he makes the correct choice to facilitate instead.
The prevailing thought is that returning to school would let him spend most of his time at point guard, thus creating a huge window for him to make a case as a first-round pick in 2020. Still, there are some (myself included) who already view him as a first-round talent, and stranger things have happened. He’s a player to watch closely, just in case.
