When Iowa State’s Tyrese Haliburton slid to No. 12 in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings war room celebrated. In the latest NBA GM survey, executives around the league overwhelmingly agreed that the Kings’ landed the biggest steal at where he was selected in the Draft.
Haliburton received a stunning 43 percent of the vote, beating Detroit’s Saddiq Bey, who took home just 11 percent.
Kira Lewis (Pelicans), Tyrese Maxey (76ers) and Obi Toppin (Knicks) tied for third place with seven percent of the vote.
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Haliburton has already earned a rotational spot with the Kings and he’s turned heads with his strong play in the preseason. In 21.4 minutes per game, the 20-year-old rookie is averaging 6.2 points, 3.2 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. He’s also shot 45.5 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from 3-point range in Sacramento’s four contests.
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While his numbers don’t jump off the page, he is fitting in seamlessly with his teammates on both ends of the court, despite the truncated offseason and lack of prep time.
While executives around the league believe the Kings found the steal of the draft, they aren’t ready to heap more praise on Haliburton. The speedy guard didn’t receive a single vote for who will win Rookie of the Year or who will be the best player in five years.
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All of this sounds like bulletin board material for the confident young guard.