Tyrese Haliburton Scouting Report
Position: PG
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 175 pounds (79kg)
College: Iowa State
Age: 20
Wingspan: N/A
Standing Reach: N/A
Vertical: N/A
| 15.2 PTS | 6.5 AST | 5.9 TRB | 2.5 STL | 0.7 BLK | 2.8 TOV | 50.4% FG | 41.9% 3PT | 82.2% FT |
Offensive Role
Tyrese Haliburton is a tall and long point guard who looks set to become the next Lonzo Ball in the NBA. He is a pass-first point guard and has incredible vision and timing on his assists. His playmaking is by far his best asset, but his scoring is something that has improved significantly over the past year as he became the top option on his team in college. His size and athleticism allow him to play multiple positions and he is very switchable. His height also helps him to get shots off easier against his direct positional opponents. He is a decent shooter and has significantly improved this past season but does have some key flaws. He has a slow release which makes him susceptible to close outs and contests. He does also lack the correct shooting mechanics that makes his three-point shooting somewhat questionable. These are all things that can be improved but what he does have is particularly good shot selection and can hit open shots at a steady rate. If he can improve his mechanics and release, he projects to be a really consistent shooter from deep in the NBA. Despite improving his scoring, he can still be too passive and unselfish on offense which leads to him occasionally passing up on good shots in order to make a pass. Forcing passes can also lead to more turnovers which is something NBA coaches will crack down on. Haliburton is also a really impactful player on offense with a 25.9 PER and boast an offensive rating of 121.5 and an 8.0 offensive box plus/minus.
Defensive Role
Tyrese Haliburton, just as he is on offense, is a high IQ defender with great awareness and the ability to make incredible reads on the defensive end that sometimes seem automatic. He is really solid on the defensive end of the floor and gets steals at a good rate. His size and athleticism also make him an impressive rebounder and shot blocker for the point guard position. Haliburton is a great team defender and possesses great leadership in directing his team on defence. While his defence is not quite as impressive as his offensive skills, Haliburton still has a positive impact on that part of the game with a 101.1 defensive rating and a 3.7 defensive box plus/minus. If he can build on these impressive defensive fundamentals, he has the potential to become a really impactful defender in the NBA who can preform highlight defensive plays.
Medical History
Fractured Left Wrist (February 2020)
NBA Comparison
Lonzo Ball, Shawn Livingston, Dejounte Murray, Ron Harper, Zach LaVine.
Projected Pick
Tyrese Haliburton is likely a lottery pick in the 2020 NBA draft with real potential to go top ten but like most lottery prospects, his placement will depend on the results of the draft lottery which is happening shortly. Due to there being no definitive top prospects in this draft class, teams are expected to make selections based on team needs rather than the talent of each draft prospect. There are several teams in the lottery that lack something at the point guard position and being one of the top point guards in this draft, he is likely to be selected relatively early.
Likely Team Fit
The best team fit for Tyrese Haliburton is the New York Knicks. The Knicks have long been a rebuilding team who have struggled to develop any star players despite all the young talent that keeps entering the team. They have a lack of depth at the point guard position and it may be time to take a chance on another young guard. The Knicks need some structure on both ends of the floor and Haliburton would be able to bring some IQ and stability on both offense and defence and help keep the team composed in tight situation. He can grow along with RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson and hopefully bring some consistency to their point guard position and be the floor general this team needs.
Overall
Tyrese Haliburton is one of the top point guards in the 2020 NBA draft and has shown promising improvements to multiple facets of his game, most notably his scoring and has become the top option on his college team. He is an uncanny facilitator and has extremely high basketball IQ on both ends of the floor. He has great size and athleticism for the point guard position and can provide support on the boards. He gets steals and blocks at a high rate for his position and has an overall great impact on team success. He does have to improve some aspects of his game, most notably his shooting mechanics and release speed but he projects to have a ceiling as a solid starter on an NBA team as one of the top passers in the league. Depending on the draft lottery results, Haliburton has the potential to be a top ten pick in this year’s draft and can immediately help a struggling team.