2020 Draft

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Thanks.

The toughest part is the closures of everything. Libraries are a haven that has been taken away. No sitting in coffee shops.

I am already feeling bored....

You keep yourself safe, Ken. This virus is in Hawaii. There are 2 cases on Oahu, & it's reasonable to expect that there will be a substantial escalation in the next couple of weeks.

Sent from my SM-A205U using RealGM mobile app

[payitforward]

Ditto! The libraries, coffee shops, restaurants etc. are all closed in Delaware. Friends are all, like me, basically shut-ins. It sucks.

I had to go the DMV this morning. It was a treat to talk face to face with two people!! I'm sure they'll be closed too, pretty soon....

[Shoe]

My prediction is we end up with the 10th pick due to some team behind us jumping up however unlikely.

[payitforward]

My prediction is we end up with the 10th top pick due to some team behind us jumping up however unlikely.

Fixed!

[Shoe]

My prediction is we end up with the 10th top pick due to some team behind us jumping up however unlikely.

Fixed!

PIF reminding us optimism is the best course of action . BTW I stole this from the Knicks board

https://www.espn.com/nba/draft/bestavailable

Here's Draft Express top 100 with breakdowns of a bunch of guys.

Anthony Edwards:

Spoiler:

SG
Anthony Edwards 6'3" 225 lbs Georgia
1
POS RK
1
OVR RK
Pre-Draft Analysis
Strengths
- Powerful guard with elite length and explosiveness. Tough to contain, especially in transition. Strong first step and bouncy off one or two feet in space. Embraces contact in the paint.
- Three-level scorer who can function on or off the ball. Capable shooter with his feet set but most intriguing with the ball in his hands. Made 42 pull-up jumpers in 32 games, regularly elevating over the top of defenders with ease. Can splash a pull-up 3 if the defense goes under, rise up in midrange spots or use his strength and explosiveness to get all the way to the rim in a straight line. Shows potential as a facilitator, particularly in the open court.
- Strength, length and quickness to be a lockdown defender who can check three positions at the NBA level. Doesn't always buy in on that end but has shown glimpses. Can sit down and slide. Has the tools to make plays off the ball.

Improvement areas
- Still learning how to play on both ends. Decision-making is a work in progress. Tends to settle for contested jumpers rather than using his physicality to get all the way to the rim. Still learning how to play with elite players. Reputation for inconsistency in his production.
- Streaky perimeter shooter. Shot 29.1% from 3 on 237 attempts at Georgia.
- Undisciplined defender who isn't always engaged. Motor and intensity on that end fluctuates. Completely upright in his stance at times.

Projected role: Star scoring guard

--Mike Schmitz

LaMelo Ball

Spoiler:

PG LaMelo Ball 6'7" 190 lbs USA 1 POS RK 2 OVR RK
Pre-Draft Analysis
Strengths
- Has elite size for a point guard at 6-foot-7. Controls the game from his unique vantage point with impressive creativity, flair, poise and instincts operating off a live dribble. Gifted ball handler who plays at different speeds and can make every pass with either hand, especially operating out of pick-and-roll. Throws 90-foot outlets, makes magical touch passes.
- Has a chance to be an adequate defender due to his combination of terrific size, quick feet and instincts, particularly when he's playing with energy. Already has some impressive moments rotating for steals and contesting shots around the basket. Excellent rebounder for a guard.
- Won't turn 19 until well after the draft. Will be one of the youngest players picked in the first round. Might still be growing.

Improvement areas
- Has struggled to score efficiently throughout his career. Shot just 46% from 2-point range and 25% from 3. Shoots jumpers with unorthodox mechanics, including a two-handed release while kicking out his legs. The touch he shows on floaters and career 82% free throw percentage leaves room for optimism, but his inability to buy a basket at times this season in the half court was discouraging.
- Lacks a degree of high-end explosiveness creating offense from a standstill and beating opponents off the dribble. Doesn't have the strength to finish what he does create around the basket. Relies on a lot of tough floaters and other difficult attempts inside the arc.
- Indifferent defender for much of his career. Still reverts back to that frequently, especially off the ball. Struggles to get over screens due to his lack of strength. Has been maligned at times for his work ethic and level of focus.

Projected role: Franchise point guard

--Jonathan Givony

James Wiseman

Spoiler:

C James Wiseman 7'1" 240 lbs Memphis 1 POS RK 3 OVR RK
Pre-Draft Analysis
Strengths
- Incredible frame standing over 7-feet in shoes and 250 pounds with a 7-5 wingspan and gigantic standing reach. Exceptional athlete for his size in terms of his ability to get up and down the floor, cover ground and elevate around the rim quickly with explosiveness and power.
- Has a good skill set. Agile in the post and as a pick-and-roll finisher with impressive body control. Capable of handling and creating for himself. Shows some creativity with his footwork. Has a soft touch around the rim and even extending out to 3.
- Impact player as a rim protector when locked in and operating at maximum intensity thanks to his reach, timing and quickness. Also capable of switching on the perimeter with excellent mobility.

Improvement areas
- Feel for the game is a work in progress on both ends. Average passer who shows questionable instincts and awareness defensively, especially guarding pick-and-rolls. Can be foul-prone.
- Doesn't always know his best role offensively. Has been intent on proving his skill on the perimeter rather than using his frame to his advantage inside the paint. Elongated release, side spin and questionable percentages from the free throw line raise doubts about his shooting ability.
- Has left scouts wanting more at times in terms of his offensive efficiency, rebounding and defensive impact. Has stretches in which he looks like he's in cruise control.

Projected role: Franchise center

--Jonathan Givony

Deni Advija

Spoiler:

SF
Deni Avdija 6'9" 215 lbs Israel 2 POS RK 5 OVR RK
Pre-Draft Analysis
Strengths
- Big enough to play PF but has the ballhandling, creativity and playmaking skill of a PG. At his best operating out of pick-and-roll, where he displays excellent timing and vision, allowing him to make every read and pass in the book. Aggressive offensive player who is in attack mode every time he steps onto the floor. Loves shooting pull-up 3-pointers in transition. Brings toughness, competitiveness and swagger.
- Was learning how to play without the ball this season in a more compact role at the pro level. Elite cutter thanks to his strong feel for the game. Capable of playmaking out of secondary ball-handling situations.
- Has made significant strides on defense. Covers ground well and plays with real intensity getting over screens, battling on the glass and rotating to protect the rim. Gets in passing lanes, blocks quite a few shots and rebounds well.

Improvement areas
- Inconsistent shooter who has converted just 32% of 3-pointers and 58% of free throws over a large sample. Mechanics have been tweaked repeatedly to the point that you rarely see him shooting the same way, sometimes kicking his legs out excessively or looking stiff with his release.
- Wasn't asked to do much in terms of creating his own shot in isolation, pushing in the open court or playing pick-and-roll this season.
- Struggles to create offense from a standstill. Right-hand dominant and much more limited when pushed to dribble or finish with his off hand. Reliant on changes of speed and using his body to create space, which might prove more difficult against NBA defenders.

Projected role: Big playmaker

--Jonathan Givony

Tyrese Haliburton

Spoiler:

PG
Tyrese Haliburton 6'5" 175 lbs Iowa State 2 POS RK 7 OVR RK
Pre-Draft Analysis
Strengths
- Has good size for a point guard at 6-5 with a 6-7.5 wingspan that should allow him to defend either guard position. Fluid athlete who changes speeds with long strides, polished footwork and smooth body control. Still developing physically.
- Has one of the highest basketball IQs of any player in the draft. Creative passer who empowers teammates with outlet passes and makes the game easy with the tremendous vision in pick-and-roll. Size, length and feel make him a factor on the glass, getting in passing lanes and even blocking shots on occasion.
- Career 43% 3-point shooter and 78% free throw shooter at the college level. Reliable with his feet set despite his unconventional mechanics. Has outstanding touch on floaters.

Improvement areas
- Has played off the ball quite a bit in his college career due to his struggles creating offense from in the half court. Can't always beat better defenders off the bounce cleanly. Low release on his pull-up jumper makes it difficult for him to get his shot off at times. Likely will be at his best operating alongside a high-volume shot creator.
- Light frame limits him on both ends. Gets knocked off his path easily and forced to settle for difficult shots from outside the paint. Has a propensity for avoiding contact. Attempted only 71 free throws in 57 games in college.
- Team went just 10-12 with him on the roster this season. Going to be more appealing to teams with existing pieces in place, which limits his ceiling among bad teams picking at the top.

Projected role: Secondary ball-handling 3-and-D guard

--Mike Schmitz

Obi Toppin

Spoiler:

PF
Obi Toppin 6'9" 220 lbs Dayton 1 POS RK 9 OVR RK
Pre-Draft Analysis
Strengths
- Explosive leaper with solid size. Big hands. Runs the floor hard. One of the most efficient transition finishers in college basketball. Lob threat out of pick-and-roll and from the dunker spot.
- Versatile offensive skill set. Can space the floor vertically, pop out to 3 with sound mechanics and score in the post. Takes advantage of switches with jump hooks over either shoulder or quick spins. Comfortable post passer. Handles double teams fairly well. Sound feel for the game.
- Has fairly sharp defensive instincts even though he's a bit limited on that end. Plays the passing lanes and is comfortable protecting the rim in a pinch. Spent most of the season playing center and has decent verticality and shot-blocking timing when he's fully engaged.

Improvement areas
- Lacks a degree of versatility and upside on the defensive end. Upright mover with choppy strides. Struggles to sit down and slide with perimeter forwards. Doesn't change direction all that well. Discipline comes and goes as a pick-and-roll defender. Has issues with more physical bigs given his light base. Buried in the post regularly. Not always the most engaged rebounder. Can he play any small-ball 5 in the NBA?
- Not the most polished perimeter player for a modern 4. Benefited from playing the 5 with shooting and skill surrounding him. Upright ball handler. Not really a dynamic shooter.
- Gets moved off his spots easily in the paint. Doesn't always maintain balance in a crowd. Was effective on the block in college, but will he be able to punish switches regularly in the NBA? High floor but what's his ceiling at age 22 with some limitations on the defensive end?

Projected role: Run-and-jump big with stretch skills

--Mike Schmitz

Killian Hayes

Spoiler:

PG
Killian Hayes 6'5" 192 lbs France 3 POS RK 10 OVR RK
Pre-Draft Analysis
Strengths
- Great size for a lead guard at 6-5. Strong frame. Has the tools to defend either guard spot when fully motivated. Can change speeds and directions with the ball. Fairly fluid athlete who can use his size to overpower smaller guards.
- Comfortable pick-and-roll player with three-level scoring potential and creativity as a passer when he's able to get to his left hand. Has also improved as a shooter. Can rise into midrange pull-ups or even bounce out to 3 with step-backs. Shows glimpses of finesse as a finisher with his left hand in the paint.
- Fairly experienced and productive for his age having played 72 pro games (BBL, France Pro A, EuroCup). Should be able to have an instant impact if he's in a situation where the ball is in his hands.

Improvement areas
- Average athletically both in terms of burst and vertical explosion. Struggles with aggressive ball pressure. Turned the ball over on 25% of his possessions. Can change speeds and directions but doesn't quite have the shiftiness to beat rangy defenders off the dribble consistently. Will have to become a more consistent shooter to combat that. Doesn't get to the free throw line at a high rate.
- Extremely left-hand dominant as a driver, passer and finisher. Lack of willingness to use his right hand limits him all over the floor.
- Defensive intensity comes and goes. Struggles with speedy guards. While improved, his approach to the game was a question in the past. How much of his success is a product of the freedom and volume he was given with Ulm? Has looked ordinary at times in camp settings when surrounded by strong athletes.

Projected role: Big playmaker

--Mike Schmitz

Cole Anthony

Spoiler:

PG
Cole Anthony 6'3" 190 lbs North Carolina 5 POS RK 12 OVR RK
Pre-Draft Analysis
Strengths
- Aggressive, confident scorer who has been productive at virtually every stop. Good open-court athlete who changes ends quickly. Creates space for himself with crossovers and step-backs going left. Can knock down pull-ups with range, change speeds and directions and initiate contact in the paint.
- Glimpses of competitiveness on the defensive end. Has shown the willingness to fight through ball screens. Quick hands and feet when fully engaged.
- Impressed NBA scouts at the Nike Academy, competing in every session and going toe-to-toe with NBA players. Plays with a lot of confidence. Can play off the ball some with ability to shoot off the catch.

Improvement areas
- Much more of a scorer than facilitator at this stage. Can make basic drop-offs and kickouts, but he's still learning how to manipulate defenses. Tends to pound the ball a little too much. Shot selection has room to improve.
- A bit streaky, shooting 35% from the high school 3-point line on 464 attempts and 35% from 3 at the collegiate level. Shows deep range and the ability to rise up in the midrange, but scouts will have a close eye on his consistency. Lacks finesse at the rim. Right-hand dominant finisher.
- While quick-footed and fairly strong for his height, average size and length limits his defensive versatility. Ball-watches defensively and gives up open looks to shooters. Does his production translate to winning?

Projected role: Shot-creating lead guard

--Mike Schmitz

Couple things that surprise me about their rankings; that Issac Okoro is in the top 5. Tyrese Maxey is over Hayes and Anthony.

If you guys could digest and synthesize this info and frame it for our Wizards I would appreciate some perspectives on our team's future trajectory in accordance with the NBA draft , I need my basketball fix during this quarantine and I enjoy reading speculation.

I'm lower on Killian if he is all left hand and he doesn't have that first step to get by defenders. Deni's free throws are atrocious. Obi can't defend centers or wings. I just don't know who we can zero in on.

[Ruzious]

My prediction is we end up with the 10th top pick due to some team behind us jumping up however unlikely.

Fixed!

PIF reminding us optimism is the best course of action . BTW I stole this from the Knicks board

'm lower on Killian if he is all left hand and he doesn't have that first step to get by defenders. Deni's free throws are atrocious. Obi can't defend centers or wings. I just don't know who we can zero in on.

Okongwu.

[gambitx777]

I really think James Wiseman could fall and I would take him in the back of the top ten in no time
I think he's a difference maker and I think he's gonna show that. He has it and if you put him around a bunch of hard workers like wall and Beal. He's gonna thrive he's the big D body we need.

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using RealGM mobile app

[Pistol King]

Deni's free throws are atrocious.

As I answered it elsewhere, His FT % are bad at the moment, but from what I've seen while watching his games, his mechanics is too good to not be improved to around 75-80%. I'd just give a simple example, in that FIBA championship at the semi-final against France, a high pressure game, he went to the FT line 14 times and made 12 of it. I just don't see a scenario when a bad FT shooter would make 12 of his 14 attempts in such game.

[Shoe]

Hi everyone! I've been reading you all for a while but never commented.

There's an international prospect from which I haven't read much in any mock draft or scouting report : Leandro Bolmaro

Bolmaro is a 6' 7" guard currently playing for Barcelona(not having many minutes in a team full of euroleague stars, but playing well when given the oportunity) who could have declared for last year's draft but decided to remain in Europe and has just declared for this one.

He's listed as SG, however has played a lot of minutes as PG because of his great passing instincts and correct ball-handling skills. His socring ability really needs to be polished, but has the physical tools, the "touch" to improve. Leandro isn't a great shooter right now, but has good mechanics and has been really improving recently, specially in spot ups. Defensively, I have not seen enough of him to form an opinion about positioning, but is a good 1-on-1 defender with really active hands and quicker feet than what might seem for a 6' 7" player from Argentina.

I think it would be interseting to use our 2nd in him, he can turn into a really interesting player.

Here there's some footage of him with Barcelona's first and second teams:

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Excellent early find. I've seen him mocked in the first round now. The lefty hesitation is next level.

Read on Twitter

[Shoe]

Deni's free throws are atrocious.

As I answered it elsewhere, His FT % are bad at the moment, but from what I've seen while watching his games, his mechanics is too good to not be improved to around 75-80%. I'd just give a simple example, in that FIBA championship at the semi-final against France, a high pressure game, he went to the FT line 14 times and made 12 of it. I just don't see a scenario when a bad FT shooter would make 12 of his 14 attempts in such game.

Agreed and good to hear in case we somehow move up in the lottery.

[Hibachi_0]

Excellent early find. I've seen him mocked in the first round now. The lefty hesitation is next level.

Read on Twitter

I would totally use our 2nd round Bulls pick in him if he's available. Great frame, recently improving jumpshot, good instincts and great defender. I could really see him boosting up our second unit. More or less like Sato did a couple of years ago.

[payitforward]

Shoe -- where did you see Bolmaro mocked in R1? On NBA Draftroom's mock, he's still well down in R2.

[Shoe]

Shoe -- where did you see Bolmaro mocked in R1? On NBA Draftroom's mock, he's still well down in R2.

NBAdraft.net has him going 26 to Boston.

[Jamaaliver]

Tyrese Haliburton Is The Most Intriguing Guard In The 2020 NBA Draft



At 6-foot-5, with an estimated wingspan of 6-foot-8, the 20-year-old is a lead guard that has the type of size that gives him the perfect amount of positional versatility. Haliburton might be at his best with the ball in his hands, but he is capable of playing off the ball on offense, and he has the length to comfortably switch across three spots on the defensive end. That type of player doesn’t come around very often, and that’s one of the main reasons that guys with his tools often find themselves being selected in the lottery.

With Haliburton’s combination of size and skill, many are quick to compare him to guys like Lonzo Ball and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. I don’t find those comparisons to be particularly accurate, but the one thing they all have in common is that they ooze potential...the sophomore guard averaged 15.2 points, 6.5 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. He continued to shine, even when his supporting cast was constantly letting him down.

Spoiler:

Haliburton is going to need to clean up his handle a bit. The sophomore has a high dribble that can make it difficult for him to create separation or get by his man. On top of that, Haliburton must also be more aggressive in attacking the basket. When running pick and rolls, Haliburton was in the 91st percentile when those plays ended with him attacking the rack. However, he only did so 16 times last season. At his size, Haliburton needs to go downhill and put pressure on defenses.

Haliburton projects as one of the more switchable defenders in this draft, but he’s going to need to add some weight to his frame in order to regularly guard NBA wings. The 20-year-old has excellent instincts defensively, and he finished in the 84th percentile defending in isolation last year. But guarding players with NBA size will be more difficult, so he can help himself a lot by putting in work in the weight room.

Overall, Haliburton deserves to be mentioned with this draft’s top-tier lead guards a bit more often. LaMelo Ball and Killian Hayes are both excellent prospects, but Haliburton isn’t that far behind either of them. I have him as my eighth-ranked player in the class, and I believe he has a higher floor than most of the guys that will be selected in the lottery. With his combination of size and skill, it’s hard to imagine him being any worse than a very good backup. But I see him becoming a part of somebody’s core relatively quickly. That makes him a great consolation prize for teams that miss out on a top-5 pick.

Forbes

[Ruzious]

Tyrese Haliburton Is The Most Intriguing Guard In The 2020 NBA Draft



At 6-foot-5, with an estimated wingspan of 6-foot-8, the 20-year-old is a lead guard that has the type of size that gives him the perfect amount of positional versatility. Haliburton might be at his best with the ball in his hands, but he is capable of playing off the ball on offense, and he has the length to comfortably switch across three spots on the defensive end. That type of player doesn’t come around very often, and that’s one of the main reasons that guys with his tools often find themselves being selected in the lottery.

With Haliburton’s combination of size and skill, many are quick to compare him to guys like Lonzo Ball and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. I don’t find those comparisons to be particularly accurate, but the one thing they all have in common is that they ooze potential...the sophomore guard averaged 15.2 points, 6.5 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. He continued to shine, even when his supporting cast was constantly letting him down.

Spoiler:

Haliburton is going to need to clean up his handle a bit. The sophomore has a high dribble that can make it difficult for him to create separation or get by his man. On top of that, Haliburton must also be more aggressive in attacking the basket. When running pick and rolls, Haliburton was in the 91st percentile when those plays ended with him attacking the rack. However, he only did so 16 times last season. At his size, Haliburton needs to go downhill and put pressure on defenses.

Haliburton projects as one of the more switchable defenders in this draft, but he’s going to need to add some weight to his frame in order to regularly guard NBA wings. The 20-year-old has excellent instincts defensively, and he finished in the 84th percentile defending in isolation last year. But guarding players with NBA size will be more difficult, so he can help himself a lot by putting in work in the weight room.

Overall, Haliburton deserves to be mentioned with this draft’s top-tier lead guards a bit more often. LaMelo Ball and Killian Hayes are both excellent prospects, but Haliburton isn’t that far behind either of them. I have him as my eighth-ranked player in the class, and I believe he has a higher floor than most of the guys that will be selected in the lottery. With his combination of size and skill, it’s hard to imagine him being any worse than a very good backup. But I see him becoming a part of somebody’s core relatively quickly. That makes him a great consolation prize for teams that miss out on a top-5 pick.

Forbes

I'd take Haliburton over Ball. Then again, I would never take Ball. I think the writer is probably overrating Haliburton's ceiling, but he probably has one of the highest floors of anyone in the draft, He's almost a sure thing to be a very good NBA player. Maybe he can play some 2, but I think PG is his position, and he's not going to be strong enough to play the 3.

[pcbothwel]

Big fan of Haliburton outside the top 6, but one player Im coming back to... Tyrese Maxey.
Playmaking Combo guard that attacks relentlessly, shows a an array of ways to score, and can create for others.
Mediocre defender, but competes... Low 3pt%, but his FT% on high volume is 80%.

Skill set, age, stats, etc... All compare quite nicely to Coby White and Donovan Mitchell (Freshman). After Edwards, Hayes, Okongwu, Haliburton, and Wiseman... I dont see a clearly better prospect.

Again, with Maxey, Vassell, Green, Okoro, Bey, Anthony, Kira Lewis, and Anthony all available outside the top 8-10... trading back really becomes appealing. Getting a mid 1st in next years draft is very interesting to me.

[Ruzious]

Big fan of Haliburton outside the top 6, but one player Im coming back to... Tyrese Maxey.
Playmaking Combo guard that attacks relentlessly, shows a an array of ways to score, and can create for others.
Mediocre defender, but competes... Low 3pt%, but his FT% on high volume is 80%.

Skill set, age, stats, etc... All compare quite nicely to Coby White and Donovan Mitchell (Freshman). After Edwards, Hayes, Okongwu, Haliburton, and Wiseman... I dont see a clearly better prospect.

Again, with Maxey, Vassell, Green, Okoro, Bey, Anthony, Kira Lewis, and Anthony all available outside the top 8-10... trading back really becomes appealing. Getting a mid 1st in next years draft is very interesting to me.

Maxey's a tough one for me to rank. He clearly has a high upside, but he has a low floor. I see the similarities with White and Mitchell - both scoring hybrid guards who dominate the ball. I think he's a better athlete, passer, and defender than White, but White's a better shooter. Mitchell really stepped up to today's NBA, but should we jump to the conclusion that Maxey will do the same? I don't - so I don't have him as a lotto pick, but I can see why almost everyone does. I do like his defensive ability and tenacity - though he plays too aggressively sometimes.

[pcbothwel]

Big fan of Haliburton outside the top 6, but one player Im coming back to... Tyrese Maxey.
Playmaking Combo guard that attacks relentlessly, shows a an array of ways to score, and can create for others.
Mediocre defender, but competes... Low 3pt%, but his FT% on high volume is 80%.

Skill set, age, stats, etc... All compare quite nicely to Coby White and Donovan Mitchell (Freshman). After Edwards, Hayes, Okongwu, Haliburton, and Wiseman... I dont see a clearly better prospect.

Again, with Maxey, Vassell, Green, Okoro, Bey, Anthony, Kira Lewis, and Anthony all available outside the top 8-10... trading back really becomes appealing. Getting a mid 1st in next years draft is very interesting to me.

Maxey's a tough one for me to rank. He clearly has a high upside, but he has a low floor. I see the similarities with White and Mitchell - both scoring hybrid guards who dominate the ball. I think he's a better athlete, passer, and defender than White, but White's a better shooter. Mitchell really stepped up to today's NBA, but should we jump to the conclusion that Maxey will do the same? I don't - so I don't have him as a lotto pick, but I can see why almost everyone does. I do like his defensive ability and tenacity - though he plays too aggressively sometimes.

Again, not saying he'll be Mitchell, but Maxey is a better shooter from 3 and the FT line... both on higher volume (Compared to DM as a Freshman).
I think he is learning to be a bit more creative and not get caught up in poor situations/positions on offense. Sure, Mitchell garnered more steals and Blocks, but he fouled TWICE as much.

Maxey and Vassell are my fallback choices if no one falls and we dont trade back.

[Jamaaliver]

Read on Twitter

[payitforward]

Tyrese Haliburton was a much better player this year than Tyrese Maxey. I don't see all that much to like about Maxey.

Haliburton was also a much better player than Donovan Mitchell was either year in college. OTOH, Then again... I'm very much in the minority on Donovan Mitchell -- I don't think he's an outstanding NBA player, though, yes, he is is a high-scoring NBA player.

I find it hard to believe that Haliburton won't be a good NBA player (i.e. he has a high floor). But, to me at least, he also looks to have a pretty high ceiling as well. He does everything well, & he has great size.

Now... I still want to trade back. But Maxey wouldn't be on my target list. OTOH, if we didn't trade back but instead we got Haliburton, I'd feel like we got a guy who is likely to be quite good.