As the face and leader of the Indiana Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton has no regrets over how his career has panned out so far. Despite being constantly overlooked and disrespected, his return remains a big story for a Pacers team that’s just two years removed from a Finals run.
But did you know that Haliburton was almost picked by a different team on draft night? As he recently explained on the ‘Numbers on the Board’ podcast, Tyrese thought he would get drafted by the Warriors at No. 2 overall after completing what he calls the best workout of his life.
“My Golden State workout, that was the best workout of my life,” said Haliburton on the ‘Numbers on the Board’ podcast. “I swear I didn’t miss. Steve [Kerr] stepped into my workout and was like, ‘He needs to do conditioning shooting. We need to see it full court.’ And then I didn’t miss again. I was like, ‘They’re drafting me at 2.’ Then in the interview, they were like, ‘We know you fit us perfectly. We know you fit us perfectly, but we don’t know if we could draft you at 2.”
Haliburton has the type of game that can fit on any team, but he would have made a particularly good fit in Golden State. Since Stephen Curry likes to play off the ball, Tyrese could have operated as the primary ball handler/facilitator, opening up the offense in brand new ways.
“Steph wants to play off-ball. That allows me to have the rock, and then I could find him. I’m like, ‘Oh, this could be OD.”
The Warriors had the second overall pick that year, and they could have selected Haliburton if they wanted. They clearly liked his game, but they weren’t willing to pick him so early on in the draft. Instead, they settled on James Wiseman with the No. 2 pick, a decision that would come back to haunt them.
To this day, Wiseman is regarded as one of the worst lottery picks in modern NBA history. He only played for two years on the Warriors, averaging a measly 9.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 0.7 assists, and 0.7 blocks per game on 54.1% shooting. Haliburton, meanwhile, is one of the best pure point guards in the game. At 26, he has already proven he can be the best player on a contending team with career averages of 17.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per game on 47.3% shooting from the field.
Looking back, it’s obvious that the Warriors made a mistake in that draft. Had they drafted Haliburton (who was picked 12th by the Kings), they might be in a much better position today, with a young point guard to carry them into the future. Unfortunately for them, however, there’s no going back. They have to live with that mistake, and hopefully they can learn that taking the “safe” pick isn’t always the best choice.
For Haliburton, who is ready to make his return to the court next season, it all turned out in his favor. On the Pacers, he has the opportunity to lead his own team and set a culture that will define their success for years to come. He has thrived in his situation, and it makes you wonder where he’d be if the Warriors had made a different decision on draft day.
