Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton is one of the most impressive rising stars in the NBA right now. With a league-high 12 assists per game this season, he’s already getting recognized as one of the best playmakers in basketball. Looking back on his draft day, many teams passed up on him with their pick but Hali holds no regrets about how it all played out.
“I was disappointed that they (had) the No. 2 pick because I felt like if they were anywhere out of the top three, I felt like I was going to be the pick. That was the best workout probably in my life,” said Haliburton on the Warriors, who had the third pick that year. “But I understood at the time there was no way they were going to take me at No. 2… It definitely would’ve been a good fit.”
On draft night in 2020, the Golden State Warriors had the chance to pick Tyrese but they went with James Wiseman instead, who was later traded in less than three seasons with the club. Haliburton would end up falling to 12th in the Draft, where he’d join the Sacramento Kings and cement himself as a rising young star.
Warriors Made A Huge Mistake
After years of being in the Western Conference bunker, the Golden State Warriors were rewarded with the third pick in the draft, and experts were convinced they would find a way to strike gold once again. Unfortunately, their selection of Wiseman at 2 was probably the worst move they could have made. At the time, there were a lot of great prospects still available, including LaMelo Ball, Patrick Williams, Devin Vassell, and Tyrese Maxey among others. Since the Warriors needed a center at the time, they chose Wiseman over any of those guys and it’s a decision that they have no doubt come to regret.
Today, Wiseman is averaging just 6.8 points per game off the bench for the worst team in the league while Tyrese Haliburton, who went 10 spots behind him, is already making a strong case for being the best point guard in the East. Had the Warriors made a different pick that day, who knows how things would have played out for them. Unfortunately, they’ll never get the chance to find out.
Haliburton Is Putting On A Show
Hali didn’t stay in Sacramento long before they traded him to the Pacers in a now-infamous trade involving Domantas Sabonis. In the deal, Sacramento was able to secure an All-Star big man, who has helped them re-make the franchise before our very eyes. For Tyrese, the trade freed him up to become the best version of himself, which is what we’re seeing this season on the Pacers.
Through 24 games so far Haliburton is putting up an impressive stat line of 24.3 points, 12.0 assists, and 0.8 steals per game on 49% shooting. He’s almost single-handedly led the Pacers to a respectable standing in the East and is on track to become an All-Star for the second straight year. It’s really a shame that the Warriors missed out on him because he’s the type of player who could have extended their championship window for years to come.
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