2020 NBA draft profile: Iowa State guard Tyrese Haliburton
By Matthew Way
Tyrese Haliburton strengths
While LaMelo Ball gets most of the publicity, Tyrese Haliburton may just be the most dynamic passer in this year’s class. The Iowa State product isn’t perhaps as flashy, but he’s every bit as effective in creating high-percentage opportunities for his teammates.
Haliburton has an unmatched feel for the offensive game. He anticipates defenders’ actions incredibly well and, as a result, is able to manipulate them in subtle ways to get what he wants from opposing defenses. He seldom forces passes. Instead, he takes the obvious path when it’s there, often creating assist opportunities for his target. If there’s nothing there, he creates passing lanes through his basketball IQ and manipulation of the defense at an elite level for a college point guard.
His length and anticipation make him both a productive rebounder and defender. He outworks opponents and teammates for a lot of boards, leading to an impressive 6.4 rebounds per game as a lead ball-handler.
Defensively, he reads opposing offenses like you would expect an intelligent point guard to do. While he may not be an elite on-ball defender, his work in help defense is tremendous. He’s excellent at helping the helper and displayed some surprising ability to disrupt transition opportunities.
The strengths of Haliburton’s game are extreme strengths that make him one to watch for teams in need of a point guard.