During these tough quarantined times, New York Knick fans are using Tankathon to envision which prospects could possibly fall into the laps of the Knicks come draft night. Tyrese Haliburton is one of the names getting linked to the Knicks frequently during Tankathon lottery draft simulations which usually has the Knicks landing on the first-round draft picks six through nine.
Tyrese Halliburton’s non-flashy playing style makes him undervalued and underrated. He often gets dismissed as “just another role player” from a good amount of fans. But could the non-flashy yet fundamentally sound sophomore combo-guard from Iowa State be a perfect fit in the New York Knicks backcourt alongside RJ Barrett? Absolutely! Haliburton is often called ” Frank Ntilikina part two” however, the 6’5″ 175lbs. 7’0″ wingspan guard thrives in catch and shoot situations and let’s not forget his ability to facilitate the offense which could lead to making the game even easier for Knicks beloved lob catching threat Mitchell Robinson. Tyrese Haliburton averaged 15.2 points per game along with a career Iowa State average of .426 percent from three-point land. Defensively Haliburton averaged an impressive 2.5 steals per game last season at Iowa State before his season-ending wrist injury.
The New York Knicks lack shooting, assists, and perimeter defense. Basketball IQ lacks certain lineups the Knicks put on the court. Haliburton fills those gaps and his basketball IQ as a sophomore coming into the draft is a beautiful thing that can definitely help the Knicks. It would also be beautiful to watch Haliburton succeed under current Interim Coach Mike Miller.
Overall, Tyrese Haliburton would make a sneaky great first-round draft pick. He’ll be overlooked by many teams, however, the Knicks need all the intangibles he brings to the basketball court.