A latest article requested whether or not the Golden State Warriors made a mistake by not taking Tyrese Haliburton when the Warriors had the second choose within the 2020 NBA draft. In hindsight, the reply appears clear — Haliburton has change into a star and can seemingly be an All-Star this 12 months, averaging over 24 factors and 12 assists per recreation for the Pacers. The participant the Warriors did choose with the quantity 2 choose, James Wiseman, merely didn’t work out, and is now out of the league altogether. (Checking notes — Wiseman is taking part in for the Pistons. Yup, he’s out of the league altogether.)
Nonetheless, regardless of the Warriors’ curiosity in Haliburton in 2020, nobody had him going as excessive as 2 or 3 within the draft. As a reminder, the consensus prime choose in 2020 was Anthony Edwards, who went to the Timberwolves and resides as much as that choice. As soon as Edwards went first as anticipated, the Warriors’ precise alternative was between Wiseman, a publish participant, and LaMelo Ball, a ball dominant level guard. The Warriors already had a reasonably gifted level guard who can be the very best shooter ever. They didn’t wish to take the ball out of Steph Curry’s fingers in favor of a rookie — even one as gifted as Ball, or Haliburton for that matter.
No, the precise groups who realistically might have, and may have, taken Haliburton have been a bit decrease within the lottery. Most prominently, the San Antonio Spurs, who had the eleventh choose — the final choose earlier than the Sacramento Kings took Haliburton with the twelfth choose. Remarkably, even the group that chosen Haliburton, the Kings, might not have recognized how good he was going to change into. The Kings traded him in February of his second season to the Pacers for Domantas Sabonis. On the time of the commerce, Haliburton had good however not nice numbers — 14 factors, 7 assists per recreation. After all, the Kings already had a reasonably good level guard of their very own in De’Aaron Fox, who has thrived alongside Sabonis.
Apparently, the Spurs had among the identical points because the Warriors and Kings. The distinction was that the 2020 Spurs had two level guards “in the best way”, not only one, and each of the Spurs’ guard have been younger. Dejounte Murray had simply accomplished his rookie season and would finally change into an All-Star with the Spurs, whereas Derrick White was nonetheless simply 25. Each averaged in double figures and in addition confirmed nice promise on the defensive finish. In 2020, it was straightforward to ascertain each guards as Spurs’ mainstays for years to come back.
Devin Vassell was seen as the right praise to the 2 level guards — a rangy defender with a superb shot, and importantly, comfy taking part in off the ball. And whereas he has not but change into an all-star, as Haliburton certainly will this 12 months, Vassell has change into the Spurs’ second-best participant. After all, the 2 gamers who might have blocked Haliburton’s path have since been traded, with White going to the Celtics and Murray to the Hawks — maybe proof that groups ought to simply take the very best participant accessible and never fear an excessive amount of concerning the gamers “in the best way”. (Which will even embody the Warriors, who as a substitute of Haliburton took Wiseman, and in addition stored Jordan Poole, who that they had picked late within the first spherical in 2019.)
We will additionally consider the Spurs’ collection of Vassel by seeing how different groups’ picks in that draft have labored out. A latest Sporting Information article mentioned that if the 2020 draft was re-done at the moment, Haliburton would go quantity 2 and Vassel would soar as much as quantity 7:
”Vassell was considered a secure choose on this draft. He was an awesome school defender with a pleasant 7-foot wingspan who shot it nicely from 3. These sorts of wings are extraordinarily priceless in at the moment’s NBA.
Vassell has introduced that protection and capturing to the NBA. He’s additionally added some shot creation that will have come as a little bit of a shock. He was second on the Spurs in scoring at 18.5 factors per recreation in his third 12 months within the league, attending to a midrange shot that has been computerized.”
Of the ten gamers picked earlier than Vassel in 2020, the Sporting Information has SIX of these ten gamers fully out of the re-draft lottery: Wiseman (2), Patrick Williams (4), Isaac Okoro (5), Killian Hayes (7), Deni Avdija (9) and Jalen Smith (10). The article has one other top-ten draft choose, Obi Toppin (8), dropped behind Vassel to the 14th and final choose within the lottery. (Do not forget that groups had a lot much less entry to the gamers within the run-up to the 2020 draft due to the pandemic.) In mild of the truth that 60% of the highest ten picks within the 2020 draft wouldn’t even be within the lottery on this imaginary re-draft, and one other participant moved from forward of Vassel to behind, it seems the Spurs did very nicely with the eleventh choose — even when they missed on Haliburton. They actually didn’t miss as badly as six different groups.
Sarcastically, the Sporting Information re-draft has Vassel going to … the Detroit Pistons, that means that he, like Wiseman, can be successfully out of the league.
