Re-drafting the 2020 NBA Draft — 3. Tyrese Haliburton, Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets miss out on Ball, but there are worse consolation prizes. Tyrese Haliburton was my No. 3 prospect before the draft, and while it’s in a slightly different context this time around, he has done nothing to dissuade me from that opinion. He finished third in Rookie of the Year voting behind Ball and Edwards, and it’s fair to say those three are the cream of the crop in the 2020 draft.
Haliburton plays a somewhat funky and unconventional style. His jumper looks almost unworkable at first glance, but he drilled 40.9 percent of his 3s as a rookie and possesses genuinely deep range. He’s not a primary playmaker, but his passing chops and offensive instincts are off the charts. As a secondary creator and ball-mover, there aren’t too many 21-year-olds on Haliburton’s level.
Charlotte misses out on Ball’s big-play ability, but get a similarly smart and inventive player who can provide real leadership in a young locker room. Haliburton lacks the go-to upside of some players on this list, but he’s a big guard, a knockdown shooter, and already the Kings’ second-best player in real life. For the season, he averaged 13.0 points and 5.3 assists on 47.2 percent from the field.