Tyrese Haliburton: NBA Draft Scouting Report & Analysis

Tyrese Haliburton's vitals:

Overview

OFFENSE

Haliburton's standout skill is his passing. He's a crafty and manipulative passer. He exploits small windows of room and reads defenses well. He has a wide arsenal of passes off the live-dribble (hook, whip, pocket, lobs, etc.). Haliburton scored efficiently in college at the rim and from 3. Soft touch and plus length helped him finish, while he maintained good efficiency from 3 by taking deep stationary 3s.

Haliburton won't be an initiator in the NBA. Lacks the burst and strength to get separation. Rudimentary handle. Struggles to beat bigs on switches. Doesn't consistently get into paint out of PNR. Unlikely to be an effective pullup shooter - needs lots of space to get his shot off.

DEFENSEE

Excellent team defender. Great at stunting, rotates well, generates many events. Still developing on closeouts and off-ball defense, but shows promise. Uses his length effectively, flashes good technique. Must improve at not straying too far from his man.

Poor PNR and on-ball defender. PNR gets screened too easily. Struggles to stay attached to ballhandler. On-ball too slow to stay with multiple moves and gets powered through easily.

Projection for NBA Impact & Role

Haliburton is unable to breakdown defenses in the NBA. Not good enough in PNR, doesn't have the burst to blowby 1-on-1. Haliburton needs teammates to create the initial advantage. But Haliburton's passing compliments good teams with good primary initiators. Once the defense starts shifting, Haliburton excels at swinging the ball and getting it to the right teammate.

Haliburton maintains efficiency in a low-usage role. Finishes well and hits spot-up 3s. But doesn't get to rim consistently and limited utility on 3pt shot. Pulls up but only when defenders give him a lot of space.

Good team defender. Generates events with his good instincts and length. Very timely rotations. Excels at stunting. Improves closeout and offball technique. Becomes solid at tracking shooters offball. Learns the right balance between helping and sticking to shooters.

Despite being a poor PNR defender in college, improves into an ok one in NBA. Learns to clear screens and be more efficient with his first step. Uses length to contest passing lanes, bother ballhandlers, and get rearview contests. Not quick or strong enough to be a good PNR defender, but improves his technique and utilizes his length enough to hold his own.

Remains a poor on-ball defender. Improves strength level from college but still gets powered through. Hip flexibility also improves from college, but still struggles with direction changes. Should be hidden on non-scoring threat to maximize his team-defense value.

Haliburton projects as a rotation guard. His passing boosts the offenses he's on, and he scores efficiently in a low-usage role. Haliburton's strange combination of strengths and weaknesses make it hard for him to close games because he's a fourth option on offense who doesn't guard the other team's best player. Must play with good initiators and good on-ball defenders to maximize his value.

Physical Tools

• Mediocre first step. Gets some initial separation. But typically needs screen to get separation.

• Poor burst. Sometimes gets step or half a step on defender, but lacks blowby burst. Doesn't get into lane nearly as much as most PNR operatives. Doesn't seize driving lanes. Poor straight-line speed. Definitely not a "blur in transition." For example, Lonzo Ball shares a similar build to Haliburton and is faster end-to-end.

• Ok deceleration. Capable of hitting the breaks on drives and getting to his floater. But definitely not an elite stop-start player.

• Not shifty. Unimpressive changing directions on drives. Not elusive. Easy for defenders to stay in front.

• Good vertical explosion. One-foot leaper. Above-the-rim player. Gets up a bit in half court, gets dunks. Good block rate for a guard at 2%.

• Decent lateral quickness. Stays in stance, doesn't rest on heels. Moves quickly.

• Slow hip turner. Stiff, high hips. High center of gravity. Struggles with direction change. To compensate, played further off ballhandlers than most guards. Relied on his length to pressure.

• Quick hands. Very active playing passing lanes and getting deflections.

• Nice reaction speed. Fast hands, moves when offensive player moves, etc. Reacts to events quickly.

• Stiff ankles. No flexibility. Limits his quickness, change of direction.

• Listed at 6'5 175lbs. Wingspan and standing reached aren't recorded. Clearly has plus length (likely around 6'8 wingspan). Makes plays with his length.

• Very slender frame. Narrow shoulders. Thin chest. Small in both his upper and lower body. 175 lbs. NBA teams will improve his strength, but I predict he'll always be very skinny because his shoulders are narrow.

• Poor frame hurts him on both ends. Avoids physicality on offense, gets pushed off spots easily. On defense, offensive players can power through him.

Haliburton has good length and solid vertical explosion, but his lack of burst and weak frame limit his upside.

Solid vertical pop off one foot. Gets half-court dunks.

Context, Mentality

• One of the best NCAA players this year playing as a sophomore on a poor Iowa State team with a weak supporting cast. Produced despite a tough situation.

• Haliburton set his teammates up with a lot of open looks and they consistently flubbed them. Still managed a 35.3% assist rate. Should have been higher.

• Last season, Iowa State had better surrounding talent and freshman Haliburton was often the 4th option. Brought value through his passing, decision-making, and team defense. Succeeded in both high and low usage roles.

• Good mentality. Engaged on both ends. Does lots of little things to win (hit-ahead passes, timely rotations, getting loose balls, etc.). Decisive and sound decision-maker. Makes smart, quick reads. Adds value by getting the ball to the right place quickly.

Finishing

• Excellent finisher in college. 75% at rim.

• Very soft touch both with swishes and off glass.

• Great with floaters.

• Right-hand dominant.

• Very crafty finisher. Good at contorting his body. Uses unpredictable angles. Enough hang time to change his shot.

• Great length extension on drives. Able to jump away from defenders and still finishes with his long arms.

• Good vertical explosion at rim. Leaps off one foot. Gets dunks in half court.

• Low FTA rate (18.4%). Contact avoidant. Tries to avoid defenders. However, flashes of physicality on his drives where he absorbs contact.

• Not much fancy footwork to get shots off at rim. Relies more on length. I'd like more stepthroughs, eurosteps, etc. to shake defenders.

• Timely offensive rebounder (4.6% ORB). Gets easy putbacks, tip dunks, etc. Good feel for knowing when to crash glass. Adds to his overall finishing ability.

Due to his limited burst, Haliburton will take a low number of rim attempts in the NBA, but he should finish efficiently because he has plus length and good touch.

Feathery floater touch.

Solid vertical explosion. Gets up in half court.

Shooting

• Very strange form (see clips below). BUT the shots went down. 50.8% of his shots were 3s, and he shot 41.9% on them, and he is a 42.6% 3pt shooter over his entire college career.

• Lower-body mechanics are most concerning. Shoots with feet too close together. Legs splay out as when he lands. Very stiff through ankles and hips. Looks rigid. Not much lift - more of a set shot.

• Upper-body mechanics are much better. Quick release and the ball comes out of his hand naturally. However, the release is very low, it looks like he's shooting from his face.

• Deep range on stationary 3s. Will shoot near logo. It's good that he shoots near the logo because with his low release and lack of lift he's susceptible to getting his shotblocked. Deep range will make it harder for defenders to get to rim.

• Some flashes of pullup jumpers (from 3 and midrange). Unlikely to be successful in NBA because his form won't work for them. Release is just too low, lower-body mechanics too awkward. Could possibly shoot pullup3s out of deep PNR when defenders go under. Can hit some stepbacks too when defenders don't crowd him (his stepbacks are very slow). But not something that will happen *every time* the defense goes under. Needs room to get shot off.

• Appears more comfortable pulling up going left.

• As mentioned, I don't expect many midrange pullups. The set shot just isn't conducive to pullups.

• Could make some 3s off movement because he has great feel for relocating offball. Drifts into open shots where he's moving but still has plenty of room to get shot off. But not going to sprint off screens.

• 77.5% career FT on low number of attempts. Doesn't indicate much but at least isn't a red flag.

Will shoot a good percentage on stationary c-s-3s with deep range. But limited shot utility, not a high-level pullup threat, not a movement shooter.

Deep range. From the logo!

Can pullup from 3 when defender goes under. But needs space to get shot off.

Handle

• Ineffective handle.

• On the positive, it is under control and he doesn't get stripped much.

• But Haliburton has poor acceleration and shiftiness, and his handle doesn't help him get anywhere. It's high and he has no burst with it. His moves, while under control, are predictable. Not shifty, doesn't trick defender. Cassius Winston, a prospect with worse physical tools than Haliburton's was able to get into the lane due to his deceptive handle (and some old-man style physicality).

• Haliburton's handle just doesn't get him anywhere. On switches he struggles to beat college bigs. Dances, but doesn't go anywhere.

• Tentative with his left hand. Defenses shade him right, giving him lanes to drive left, but he doesn't take them nearly as much as he should. Has many opportunities to cross to his left and drive but rarely does.

• Has a reasonably effective hesitation dribble driving right that sometimes freezes defenders, but he doesn't burst out of it.

• Dribbles backwards more than most good guards. For example, against a hedge his first inclination is to take backwards dribbles - doesn't think about going around it.

Haliburton's poor handle makes his lack of burst more pronounced. Must improve, particularly his left hand.

Passing

• Great passer. One of the best passers in this class.

• Anticipatory. Passes offensive players open. Capitalizes on shifting defenses.

• Crafty. Lots of headfakes. Keeps defenses guessing. Looks off the player he's passing to.

• Makes touch passes and split-second decisions. When the ball's swinging he knows who he'll pass it to.

• Very accurate. Makes sound decisions. Doesn't turn it over.

• Sees both corners well. Live-dribble passes with his right hand. Hits weakside shooters.

• Excellent pocket passer. Either hand. Gets ball through tight angles. Passes teammates open.

• Great hook passes (especially with right hand).

• Passing drops off slightly when driving left. Not much utility passing with left hand. Usually going for a layup if he drives left. Still good with left-handed pocket passes

• Passes over the top very well. Sees little gaps of room that most players don't.

• Good feel for lobbing passes into corners. Puts so much arc on them that defenses can't steal them.

• Generates value through transition passing. Passes into tight windows. Makes touchdown passes. Great accuracy. Lobs them into the numbers.

• Worst tendency is that he jumps a lot to pass. He's very smart and figures out where to pass while in midair, but sometimes if no one is open it's a TOV.

Excellent passer. Manipulative and crafty, sees corners, hits roll men, makes good decisions. Better passing with his right hand.

Finds shooter off live-dribble. Right hand.

Great at headfakes.

Great vision reading defense. Finds shooter.

Worse passer going left. Misses roll man here.

Pick and Roll Offense

• Lots of positives in his PNR play, but severe weaknesses.

• Doesn't get shoulder-to-shoulder with his screener. Takes very wide angles around screens. Can't get any separation this way. Gives defenses lots of leverage. Struggles to get downhill. Should be correctable, but it's a repeatedly occurring flaw.

• Dribbles backwards too often. Doesn't attack enough off PNR. Doesn't make a point of getting into paint. Looks particularly bad against hedges.

• Must improve at getting middle. Must learn to snake. Gets pushed to one side of the court.

• Not a 3-level scorer out of PNR. Doesn't have the pullup game. Might take a pullup 3 if defender goes way under.

• Lack of burst makes it hard to get into lane.

• Very good at reading defenses. Excellent reading tags. Gets ball to corner with slightest opening.

• Sees small openings. Very good getting ball to roll men through weird angles and tight spaces. Lots of passing tools: great pocket passes either hand, lob passes.

• Sees both corner well. Has whip and hook passes to get ball to either corner. Better with right hand here.

• Manipulative. Uses different fakes (shot, pass, head) to shift defense and create an opening.

Haliburton projects as a poor PNR guard in the NBA. Severe issues with not going shoulder-to-shoulder with screener and dribbles backwards too much. Both these issues are likely correctable. But his lack of burst and lack of 3-level scoring is unlikely to improve. Just doesn't threaten defenses enough to be effective. Despite his excellent passing and crafty manipulation, I don't want Haliburton running primary PNR action in the NBA.

Fails to get shoulder-to-shoulder with screener. Ends up with tough shot.

Creation Projection

• Creation ability limited by his lack of plus athleticism and pullup shooting.

• Not bursty - struggles to beat switches, even against college bigs. Will struggle against switching schemes in the NBA.

• Defenders bump him off spots easily.

• Not a primary, or even secondary, creator at NBA level. Won't cause initial collapse in defense. Rather, he'll make smart reads and capitalize on defenses that his teammates got shifting.

Must increase his aggressiveness looking to score. Should've taken the layup.

Struggles beating bigs on switches.

Has driving lane going left. Doesn't take it. Doesn't create advantage.

Team Defense, Defensive Awareness

• Very good team defender. Generates lots of events. 3.8% steal rate, 2% block rate.

• Excellent at stunting. Very proactive. Makes the most of his length. Keeps offense thinking. Usually strikes the right balance between stunting but not going too far from his man.

• Good helping off his man on strong side drives. Helps just enough to make ballhandler think.

• Digs and tags well. Doesn't miss rotations. Uses his length to generate events.

• Good backside defender when he's stuck guarding two players. Outthinks the offense.

• Generally good feel at rotating to protect paint. His length and solid vertical pop help him make some plays, but he's very "jumpy." Bites at every fake. Also easy for offensive players to power through him.

• Keeps arms out at all times. Very active

• Tendency to swipe at ball in transition instead of sprinting back.

• Good defensive rebounder. Nice timing, ability to go up and get it.

Closeouts

• Mixed bag on closeouts

• Length plays well. Gets better contests up than most point guards.

• Plenty of flashes of strong closeout technique. Closes out with choppy feet. High hands.

• But still susceptible to blowbys. Can't turn hips quick enough to cutoff some drives.

• Often plays far off his man and has to sprint a far distance to get back for the closeout. I liked him making team-defense plays for Iowa State, so I didn't mind the tradeoff in worse closeouts. Should be correctable for NBA.

Off-Ball Defense

• Gets lots of steals offball due to his length.

• Sometimes starts to get backdoored but usually can recover with his length.

• Decent job of navigating off-ball screens. Length helped him stay attached. Must improve getting skinner for NBA where better screens are set and margin for error is smaller.

• As mentioned in Closeouts, aggressive helping off-ball. Prioritized team defense more than his man. Iowa State needed his team-defense playmaking, can cut back on this in NBA.

PNR Defense

• Poor PNR defender.

• Gets screened off a lot. Doesn't feel screens. Doesn't do work early to prepare for successful screen navigation.

• Takes ineffective first step when navigating screens. Takes wide angle and ballhandler gets too much separation.

• Despite good length, not great at at rearview contests. Usually doesn't get into play when beat.

• Lack of strength means he gets stuck on screens when clipped.

• Lacks the flexibility to get skinny. Doesn't contort well to clear screens.

• Hips issues too. Slow turner.

• Must improve at using his plus length. Should be more active using his arms to takeaway passing angles and get rearview contests.

On-Ball Defense

• Projects as a below average on-ball defender in NBA.

• Uses his length well. Nice timing for contests. Gives him a "cushion" - doesn't need to play as close to his man as some guards do

• Slow hip turner. Hard for him to stick with multiple moves. Compensated by giving space and using length to contest. Dangerous game in NBA. Will get jumpers pulled in his face.

• Footwork for lateral sliding looked good. Leads with correct foot. Decent quickness sliding.

• Good job taking away passing angles. Nice anticipation for when/where to put hands up.

• Stays in stance and plays on his toes. Active feet, not resting on his heels.

• Bites for fakes/hesitations too much. Shifts weight and gives ballhandler an opening to attack. Too jumpy, went up on a little of ballfakes. Must improve his discipline.

• Lack of strength is a big problem. Power guards/wings will go straight through him. Has length to contest, but I suspect he'll foul a lot.

• Height and length means he can guard 1s and 2s. But not someone you want guarding other team's best scorer. Should be on a weaker scoring threat where his team-defense plays.

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