3. Tyrese Haliburton, guard, Iowa State
Injuries prevented Tyrese Haliburton from presenting the entirety of his case in front of the jury, but his testimony was strong enough unfinished. He is a decent bet for Rookie of the Year — the type of prospect who will earn big minutes on a quasi-contending team, and probably help them win games.
While Haliburton is highly unorthodox, he’s also highly impactful. He’s a genius-level playmaker who uses his 6-foot-5 frame to peak over the top of defenders and make reads very few prospects in this draft can make. He doesn’t turn the ball over hardly ever, and he’s also a knockdown shooter — even if his, uh, strange mechanics prevent any real pull-up threat.
Haliburton’s lack of a pull-up jumper may limit his “star” upside, but he’s too clever and too skilled to fail. He’s as sure a bet as you can make to provide at least rotation-level impact. In a draft short on elite prospects, Haliburton is the glue-guy, do-it-all prospect who can win over front offices.