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Tyrese Haliburton named biggest steal of the draft in NBA GM Survey

De'Aaron Fox was also recognized as being likely to have a breakout year.
By | 66 Comments | Dec 18, 2020

The 19th annual NBA GM Survey is out on NBA.com, which always provides a fun look at perceptions from around the NBA. The highlight for the Sacramento Kings this year is that Tyrese Haliburton earned runaway recognition as the biggest steal of the draft. 43% of respondents picked Haliburton, with second place Saddiq Bey getting just 11%.

De’Aaron Fox was also recognized in the survey, placing third in voting for player most likely to have a breakout season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Michael Porter Jr tied for first in that vote. Fox placed first in voting in the same question last year.

Speaking of last year’s survey, it’s a little less fun to revisit it. In the 2019 survey the Kings placed 4th in the vote for “most promising young core”, a category they received no votes in this year. Last year the Kings also picked up votes for “most fun team to watch”.

Last year’s survey also saw Luke Walton place third in the category of “Which new or relocated head coach will make the biggest impact on his new team?” Well, I suppose the question never clarified that the impact needed to be a positive one.

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reydarly
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December 18, 2020 1:32 pm

I mean after seeing the fits he gave Curry, his sneaky quick shot release, basketball IQ, defense, and playmaking, he definitely is a steal. He and LaMelo both change the energy and vibe when they step on the court.

andy_sims
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December 18, 2020 1:33 pm

Tyrese sure plays like he knows what he’s doing out there, especially defensively. He may be something of a savant at that end, and it’s not like he’s a tremendous slouch on offense.

Most analysts will compare him to other players, but I measure him by height.

bjax1
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December 18, 2020 3:17 pm
Reply to  andy_sims

rec’d for the Caddyshack reference.

RikSmits
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December 18, 2020 1:36 pm

These surveys don’t mean shit.

and I don’t need them to enjoy his defensive chops and BBIQ. These are skills which will make him valuable even without filling the stat sheet.

Won’t win ROY but hopefully will be an important piece in steering this team into the right direction.

RikSmits
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December 18, 2020 2:08 pm
Reply to  Greg

To clarify; It was just a general observation, not meant as a criticism of the article.
I can see how it came off like that. Not my intention.

andy_sims
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December 18, 2020 3:05 pm
Reply to  RikSmits

“This article about the survey isn’t even as good as shit, but I don’t mean that as a criticism.”

This is where a teenage girl would add, “Just sayin’.”

Marty
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December 18, 2020 7:41 pm
Reply to  andy_sims

Random

In the south they start with €œBless her heart€ then rip them.

RORDOG
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December 18, 2020 2:02 pm
Reply to  RikSmits

it wasn’t that long ago that a player like Haliburton won ROY. Malcolm Brogdon won it 2016-2017. This year doesn’t have an injured star that just doesn’t play enough minutes (Embiid, Zion), but I don’t think his low usage is a complete dealbreaker. To win I feel like a few things would need to happen:

  • The Kings play above expectations (probably at least the 10th seed)
  • Haliburton gets inserted into the starting lineup early in the season
  • He stays healthy and averages >25 minutes per game
  • Most of the rookies with more inflated counting stats do so while being super inefficient
  • His advanced stats make a compelling case that he had the biggest impact of all the rookies
  • Bonus: since they don’t have any national games, it will help if they are fun in transition with a ton of highlights

The Kings being not bad is probably the biggest hurdle obviously. I still think his chances are better than the Vegas odds though (20 to 1).

BeTheBall
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December 18, 2020 2:53 pm
Reply to  RORDOG

“This year doesn’t have an injured star that just doesn’t play enough minutes”

Sleepin’ on Bagley….

ManilaBayCleanerCrew
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December 18, 2020 7:20 pm
Reply to  RORDOG

I see LaMelo getting ROY especially if the Hornets play him like that. 8th seed in the East is a toss-up between Magic, Hawks, Wizards and if they play it right, Hornets.

RobHessing
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December 18, 2020 1:39 pm

comment image

Last edited 3 years ago by RobHessing
Gregoryl
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December 18, 2020 2:33 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

I’m having Donruss “Rated Rookie” flashbacks.

BestHyperboleEver
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December 18, 2020 1:49 pm

Man, that’s a rough read. Being the 3rd most likely to break out is nice. But it REALLY tarnished by having been the most likely last season. That’s not a list you want to be on twice. Much less be losing ground on it. That said, I don’t expect Fox to “break out.” I think he’s already good and isn’t likely to take a large leap. I think with more consistency, which is the kind of development I expect, he’ll work his way to the top 30-40ish range.

Last edited 3 years ago by BestHyperboleEver
RandyBreuersNeckHair
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December 18, 2020 2:48 pm

I think they meant ‘most likely to break a backboard.’

RikSmits
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December 19, 2020 8:30 am

I just figured they were referring to hives.

Lucky_Guy
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December 18, 2020 3:02 pm

I mean he might have had that breakout season last year but his injury slowed him down. Even if he plays just like bubble Fox without any improvements it will probably be viewed as a breakout year.

BestHyperboleEver
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December 18, 2020 3:39 pm
Reply to  Lucky_Guy

Which would be weird. Because he wasn’t actually any better in the bubble than he was the rest of last season and he played 51 games. His injury didn’t slow him down that much and there’s plenty of sample there. Even right on his return from injury he was scoring and passing more efficiently than he did in the bubble. In short, if Bubble Fox shows up and people call it a break out, they simply haven’t been paying attention.

Hamlet1989
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December 18, 2020 4:25 pm

Are you sure? I keep hearing how his #’s jumped in the bubble.

BestHyperboleEver
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December 18, 2020 4:38 pm
Reply to  Hamlet1989

The pace increased and he took more shots. So his PPG and APG were superficially better. But he scored less efficiently, defended less efficiently and his team performance while he was on the court was considerably worse. “Bubble Fox” narrative is built almost entirely on just looking at his PPG numbers out of any context.

Hamlet1989
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December 18, 2020 5:29 pm

That really is quite a bit to digest. I see your point. I can also see how the raw #’s could be interpreted many different ways. Thanks for the info!

Want2win
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December 21, 2020 4:40 am

I also think this is a great example of why scoring is given too much credit with regards to performance.. guys like Halliburton will probably per rom better Than their scoring indicates. I thought fox played great before bubble but got ESPN cred when his scoring went up even though the team didn’t perform.. I also think Bagley will get too much cred for performing when he has a 16/9 season but offensive efficiency for team gets worse because of spacing and his lack of passing

Lucky_Guy
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December 18, 2020 4:55 pm
Reply to  Hamlet1989

Fox was playing better just before the season ended. Here are his pre and post-all-star break splits.

Pre All-Star Break: 36 games, .468 FG%, .304 3P%, .681 FT%, .544 TS%, 19.7 PTS, 7 AST.

Post-All-Star Break- 15 games, .504 FG%, .273 3P%, .760 FT%, .586 TS%, 24.5 PTS, 6.4 AST.

Hard to say how much the Injury impacted these stats but one could argue that he would have found his stride earlier without the injury. If Fox just plays like his post-all-star self for most of this season it will be considered a small breakout year for him IMO.

Otis
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December 19, 2020 4:27 am
Reply to  Lucky_Guy

The team was far worse with him on the floor though, post-break (9 points per 100 possessions, vs. 2.5 worse pre-break).

Not entirely his fault of course, but we need to see if he’ll be more than a “good stats on a bad team” guy.

Hamlet1989
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December 18, 2020 4:21 pm

I took it opposite. They expected him to break-out last year, and he did. But they still expect him to do it again, and he probably will.

BestHyperboleEver
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December 18, 2020 4:43 pm
Reply to  Hamlet1989

He didn’t really break out last year. By far his biggest leap was the previous season. It’s been incremental improvement from there. Which, admittedly, is often the case with “break outs.” The press on them is usually a season late. Basically “let’s see if the break out was a true break out and not just an extended hot streak before settling back into to something closer to previous performance.”

Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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December 18, 2020 2:05 pm

Kind of odd that Hali got steal of the draft but not a single vote of possible ROY or best of his class in 5 years.

RobHessing
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December 18, 2020 2:14 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

I think “steal of the draft” is reserved not so much for a ROY candidate as it is a guy that well outperforms his draft slot. Haliburton seems primed for that, though (off hand) I can think of guys like Malachi Flynn, Desmond Bane, Xavier Tillman or Tre Jones that might wind up being steals as well.

eddie41
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December 18, 2020 2:49 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

The Toronto fanbase is already gushing about Flynn. Riller might be a steal also. He was the most explosive player on the court in a preseason game I saw. Pick 50-something. Overall, however, I agree Halliburton is the biggest steal of the draft. When all is said and done, I think he’ll be the best player of the draft. I told all the Warrior fans, get Haliburton, oh but they wouldn’t listen, just a harmless little bunny rabbit they said, it’ll do you a thing or two!

dropgate
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December 18, 2020 6:59 pm
Reply to  eddie41

That Haliburton’s dynamite!

HaliComet
December 18, 2020 2:52 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

I kinda wish we kept Tillman although I like Woodard to some degree too.

BestHyperboleEver
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December 18, 2020 4:51 pm
Reply to  HaliComet

I was pretty excited when the draft tracker said we had taken Tillman. Woodard is a fine pick, but I was a big fan of Tillman. Hopefully it turns out that I was severely mistaken.

Last edited 3 years ago by BestHyperboleEver
Kingsguru21
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December 18, 2020 2:49 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

I’d rather have the steal of the draft than ROY.

Lucky_Guy
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December 18, 2020 3:04 pm
Reply to  Kingsguru21

So you would rather have Giannis Antentokounmpo over Michael Carter-Williams? Or Curry over Evans? Psshhh what do you know.

BestHyperboleEver
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December 18, 2020 4:45 pm
Reply to  Lucky_Guy

Neither of those guys were considered the steal of their drafts going into their rookie year. In Giannis’s draft, in this same survey, the steal of the draft list looked like… wait for it…

  1. Olynyk
  2. McLemore
Hamlet1989
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December 18, 2020 5:31 pm

Ouch!

Lucky_Guy
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December 18, 2020 5:37 pm

Thomas Robinson was considered a steal as well if I remember correctly.

rc50cal
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December 18, 2020 8:18 pm

We’re good at this stealing business!

ArcoThunder
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December 19, 2020 4:18 am

ooof

Kingsguru21
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December 18, 2020 5:59 pm
Reply to  Lucky_Guy

 Psshhh what do you know.

Not much admittedly. It’s probably why I’m still a Sacramento Kings fan!

Sir_tajj
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December 18, 2020 3:05 pm

I hope it was just a preseason thing because do we really need fox to shoot 7+ threes a game? Of course that’ll open up his game but I’d argue it’s not a necessity. Plenty of guys in higher tier like Butler for example, choose not to take as many threes. So I’m really hoping those preseason attempts were just to get a rhythm going. Like that famous Abe Lincoln quote €œ better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubts€ . Can he shoot? Can he not? Let the D guess. Don’t chuck bricks and close the other door as well. I wish we got a larger sample size of fox, Hali, buddy, Barnes and Holmes or Bagley on the floor together. With buddy, Hali and Bagley being plus rebounders, only real weakness would be rim protection. But that line up can do everything else.

NotAlwaysLogic
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December 18, 2020 3:16 pm
Reply to  Sir_tajj

We don’t need him to shoot 7 threes when he makes ZERO of them that’s for sure. I’ve been riding Fox hard now that he got his max contract. Expectations have gone up. Hoping he meets them and good shooting will be necessary to do so.

andy_sims
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December 18, 2020 4:58 pm
Reply to  NotAlwaysLogic

He’s still giving you very high value on his rookie contract, though. Which he’s still on.

But yeah, his shot has been terrible. He’s probably in his own head after signing the deal.

ArcoThunder
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December 19, 2020 4:25 am
Reply to  andy_sims

was thinking the same thing. It looks like its a mental thing. Likely added pressure from the contract. I’d guess that will fade for a guy like Fox. He appears/seems to be a pretty level headed dude thats capable of self reflection and open to critique. He’ll likely never come close to 40% 3pt shooting but if he could consistently live at 35% he could be an all star. That, next to Burt would be spectacular.

Otis
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December 19, 2020 4:35 am
Reply to  ArcoThunder

Hard for me to call it contract related, since he had a pretty significant dip in shooting performance last season.

The good thing is, he started getting to the line far more, so his overall efficiency was decent.

RikSmits
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December 19, 2020 8:40 am
Reply to  ArcoThunder

It’s most definitely a mechanics thing, not a mental thing.

Want2win
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December 21, 2020 4:46 am
Reply to  andy_sims

He’s probably in his own head after signing that contract

i think this is probably spot on, Fox seems to be a guy that care about living up to his pay vs a lot players that are content when they get €œtheirs€

Nardell
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December 18, 2020 6:23 pm
Reply to  Sir_tajj

I think Fox was just getting up €œgame shots€ with all those 3’s.

bjax1
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December 18, 2020 3:21 pm

Fox needs to take threes when he’s open. If he can’t learn to hit an open 3, he will be limited in how good he can be (Ben Simmons is on the other line). Not saying he needs to shoot it like Curry, but at least make them at at 35% or better clip. Also, Haliburton just looks like he “gets it.” I know not to overvalue the eye test, but he looks legit, especially defensively.

ArcoThunder
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December 19, 2020 4:29 am
Reply to  bjax1

He just needs 1 to go in. Clearly he is in a slump

ImJoeKing
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December 18, 2020 3:21 pm

If all these GMs know he was the steal of the draft, how come none of them drafted him? It’s sort of a weird question to ask this group.

RobHessing
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December 18, 2020 3:53 pm
Reply to  ImJoeKing

My guess is that it’s predicated on where these guys had him on their respective boards, and a lot of them had him higher than 12. Only 11 of the 32 GMs had a shot at drafting him before the Kings, and my guess is that a few of the first 11 had him higher than 12 on their boards as well.

Kingsguru21
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December 18, 2020 6:01 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

32 GMs? Are you mixing your sports up……or are you counting some teams with multiple decision makers?

Inquiring minds wish to know….

RobHessing
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December 18, 2020 6:38 pm
Reply to  Kingsguru21

I added Seattle & Louisville. I know people.

CoreyBrewersD
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December 18, 2020 8:04 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

Don’t forget the 1/2 team from St Louis. Best story ever !
comment image

Last edited 3 years ago by CoreyBrewersD
Kingsguru21
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December 18, 2020 8:27 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

I’m certainly not surprised by a potential expansion were it to happen.

Gregoryl
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December 18, 2020 11:04 pm
Reply to  Kingsguru21

F Seattle and F Chris Hansen.

Otis
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December 19, 2020 4:31 am
Reply to  Kingsguru21

Yes, he included Vivek and Aneel.

RikSmits
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December 19, 2020 8:43 am
Reply to  Otis

I wanted to write Vivek and Dumars, but this is even better.

Kingsguru21
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December 19, 2020 2:40 pm
Reply to  RikSmits

Perry has his ways.

SacReligious
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December 18, 2020 4:04 pm
Reply to  ImJoeKing

The only thing necessary for a GM to pass on a player is one other player they like better. In theory, he could have been #2 on the list of every GM from 1 through 11.

SelecaoKOJ
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December 18, 2020 7:42 pm

I Think Fox will return to form pre bubble. A good player. But, not a game changer. Sorry, I don’t see it in his DNA. Hali looks like a nice player. But, I am not as high as everyone else is on him. He looks like a decent role player Which, considering the pick is a miracle for a Kings draft. But, a future starter? I don’t see it.

CoreyBrewersD
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December 18, 2020 8:25 pm
Reply to  SelecaoKOJ

I agree with you on Fox, I hope he plays to the contract, I am 60/40 he won’t. As for Haliburton I would say assuming a natural 3-5 year growth, he is a rotational player currently and will be a starter on this team long term, if he heads to a real contender look at 4-7th guy with real contributions towards winning.

ArcoThunder
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December 19, 2020 4:37 am
Reply to  SelecaoKOJ

We will agree to disagree then Sir. I’m very confident Haliburton is a future starter. I think it’s a fair debate to say that he should be the right now starter

Last edited 3 years ago by ArcoThunder
SmallBallReject
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December 19, 2020 7:53 am
Reply to  SelecaoKOJ

I can see Haliburton having a combo-guard/wing version of Shane Battier’s career.

Last edited 3 years ago by SmallBallReject
rc50cal
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December 18, 2020 8:05 pm

Shoot it right into my veins!

Last edited 3 years ago by rc50cal

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