Sacramento Kings: How Tyrese Haliburton can win Rookie of the Year
The first quarter of the NBA season has been rough for the Sacramento Kings. After a surprisingly successful handful of games to start the year, the team has floundered. They are 4-9 over their last 13 contests and already have fans looking towards the loaded 2021 Draft.
But there is a bright spot for the Kings this season in rookie Tyrese Haliburton.
Widely regarded as the steal of the draft, Haliburton has been turning heads with his stellar play. He is at or near the top in a majority of the important rookie statistical categories, exceeding expectations across the board. He has played so well, in fact, that he is now one of the front-runners for the NBA Rookie of the Year award.
Related Story. MVP Race Rankings: LeBron rising in the ranks. light
Haliburton’s chances of taking home the hardware are middling, but it is entirely possible that he is the most accomplished rookie by season’s end. Here is his possible path to the award:
What does Sacramento Kings rookie Tyrese Haliburton’s path to winning Rookie of the Year look like?
The chase for the Rookie of the Year award has been largely a two-horse race after the quarter-way mark of the season. James Wiseman has been gaining some ground as of late, but Haliburton and LaMelo Ball are the odds-on favorites according to both Vegas and the stat sheet.
For now, Ball has the upper hand. Not only did he begin the season with better odds (+350) than Haliburton (+1200), but he gained serious ground and became the favorite thanks to his hot start and triple-double to boot. But Haliburton has gained even more ground. While Ball now sits as a heavy -185 favorite, the sensation in Sacramento has shot up to +325 on the Vegas boards.
He’ll have an uphill battle if he wants to make a case for the award. Ball has the name recognition and pre-draft fame working in his favor. People knew who he was long before his NBA debut, while there are casual fans who likely don’t even know who Haliburton is.
The media won’t be of any help. SportsCenter has been and will be showing hoards of Hornets highlights, but you’ll have to look down and see Haliburton’s stats scroll by on the ticker. If you’re lucky. Last week, multiple outlets including Bleacher Report posted an emoji-laced highlight of a LaMelo Ball finishing a tough layup, in a game in which he finished with 7 points and 5 turnovers in a Hornets loss. Haliburton notched 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 blocks on the same night. Bleacher Report has posted about Tyrese Haliburton once, on December 22nd.