Minnesota Timberwolves NBA Draft 2020 Prospect Profile: Tyrese Haliburton
By Ben Beecken
Tyrese Haliburton NBA Draft 2020 Prospect Profile: Fit with Timberwolves
The combination of size, shooting ability, and savvy as a team defender that Tyrese Haliburton brings to the table suggests that he could immediately step into an NBA rotation and be a contributor.
While he’s perhaps best cast as a primary creator and distributor — a role obviously filled on the Wolves roster by Russell — it’s easy to see Haliburton as a secondary playmaker and off-ball offensive threat early in his career.
After all, jumping from the NCAA to the pros and immediately being asked to run an NBA offense is a challenge. This would be an opportunity for him to work off the ball more frequently, learn from Russell, and likely get the chance to operate the second-team offense at times.
Selecting Haliburton would take some pressure off presumptive backup point guard Jordan McLaughlin, who frankly still has something to prove after really only getting hot over the final 15 or so games of the 2019-20 season. Haliburton could be an insurance policy at backup point guard but a dynamic option as a starting backcourt mate to Russell.
Additionally, Malik Beasley’s pending legal troubles could increase the likelihood that the Wolves’ front office looks for someone in the draft who could step in and start at the two-guard. They’ll want someone who is a better shooter than both Josh Okogie and Jarrett Culver, and Haliburton might be the perfect combination of many of the best traits of the in-house options.
Next. James Harden should be a Wolves trade target. dark
Again, Haliburton is not a realistic option with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He is, however, a worthy target in any trade-back scenario in which the Wolves might find themselves on draft night.