The guarantee of a top-five pick in this year's NBA draft has Warriors fans giddy over potentially adding one of the top prospects from the 2020 class. One name that continues to surface as a potential fit for Golden State is Iowa State point guard Tyrese Haliburton.
The 6-foot-5 Haliburton rose from a lightly-recruited three-star high school prospect into a player many consider a lock to be off the board within the first 10 picks, if not earlier. NBA.com caught up with Iowa State head coach Steve Prohm to discuss Haliburton's future, and the 45-year-old seems to think Haliburton indeed would be an ideal selection for general manager Bob Myers in the first round.
"My son is 5, and he’s just starting to fall in love with basketball,” Prohm told NBA.com's Chris Dortch. “He asks me all the time, ‘where will Tyrese end up? I hope he ends up with Golden State or San Antonio.’ ”
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“He’d be great [for the Warriors]. He’s a ball mover, and he can play the 1, 2 or 3 at the next level. And he’s all about winning, all about doing the right things, a lot of the things I’ve read about what the Warriors do as a team.”
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Prohm has a strong reputation for coaching point guards, as Denver Nuggets floor general Monte Morris also is a product of Iowa State's offensive system, which allows the lead guards to expand their game and work with a spaced-out half-court set, similar to how most NBA offenses operate.
Haliburton averaged 15.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists in 2019-20 with the Cyclones, while also shooting 41.9 percent from three and 82.2 percent from the free-throw line.
The San Francisco Chronicle's Connor Letourneau reported in early June that the Warriors had Haliburton higher on their list than LaMelo Ball, who many presume to be the first point guard selected in October's draft.
While Golden State obviously has bigger needs at the wing and inside, Haliburton could be an ideal backup point guard for Steph Curry, and has drawn plenty of fair comparisons to former key Warriors reserve Shaun Livingston.
Golden State Warriors
Don't be surprised if you see Haliburton donning a Warriors cap this fall when the 2020 NBA Draft takes place on October 16.
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