PACERS

2020 NBA re-draft: Tyrese Haliburton went 12th; Where should he have been taken?

Portrait of Nat Newell Nat Newell
Indianapolis Star
  • Tyrese Haliburton was taken 12th in the 2020 NBA Draft, but what NBA legend should he be playing with?
  • The Knicks took Obi Toppin No. 8, how far does he fall in this re-draft?
  • Aaron Nesmith went 14th in the 2020 NBA Draft; where should he have been taken?

The 2020 NBA draft was one of the most challenging in the league's history due to restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic... and it showed.

Current Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton went 12th to the Sacramento Kings. The Pacers have also collected Aaron Nesmith and ObiToppin from this draft (and had James Wiseman for a bit). What would the draft look like in a re-draft? Where are the current Pacers going?

(Actual pick in parentheses)

  1. Minnesota Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards (1). The Wolves didn't get this pick wrong as he's averaged 23.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists in his career and has his team in the Western Conference semifinals. Actual pick: Edwards.
  2. Golden State Warriors: Tyrese Haliburton (12). Imagine the Warriors with Haliburton beside Steph Curry. Haliburton is an easy choice for No. 2 in this re-draft. Actual pick: James Wiseman.
  3. Charlotte Hornets: Tyrese Maxey (21). About the only thing that went right for the Sixers this season. Maxey has topped 20 points per game the past three seasons and 6.0 assists the past two. Actual pick: LaMelo Ball.
  4. Chicago Bulls: Desmond Bane (30). A fascinating decision. The consistent shooter with a lower ceiling or the superstar possibility of Ball, who hasn't topped 50 games in the past three seasons. Going with Bane but if you prefer Ball, I'm not going to argue. Actual pick: Patrick Williams.
  5. Cleveland Cavaliers: LaMelo Ball (3). Ball's shot 42.1% in his career and has a hard time staying on the court. But he's also averaged more than 23 points, 8 assists and 5 assists twice. Actual pick: Isaac Okoro.
  6. Atlanta Hawks: Deni Avdija (9). He's made significant improvement over the past two seasons, averaging 15.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists while shooting 49.1% overall and 36.9% on 3s. He did it for Washington and Portland so you'd like to see him do it on a good team; if you want to drop him two spots, I understand. Actual pick: Onyeka Okonowu.
  7. Detroit Pistons: Jaden McDaniels (28). This stretch of five picks is hard to slot but I'll take McDaniels' size (6-9) and defense here despite the inconsistent scoring. Has averaged 11.2 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 49.4% overall and 35.4% on 3s the past three seasons. Actual pick: Killian Hayes.
  8. New York Knicks: Aaron Nesmith (14). Couldn't get off the Celtics' bench but has been an underrated piece for the Pacers, averaging 11.3 points and shooting 40.2% on 3s in three seasons as a 3-and-D wing. Actual pick: Obi Toppin.
  9. Washington Wizards: Devin Vassell (11). Was improving every season until he took a step back last season, his assists dropping from 4.1 to 2.9 per game. Slotting him here on the assumption he can regain his 2023-24 form. Actual pick: Deni Avdija.
  10. Phoenix Suns: Payton Pritchard (26). We'll take the shooting despite the limited track record of getting on the court. Pritchard averaged 28.4 minutes with the Celtics this season, shooting 40.7% on 3s for 14.3 points and he chips in 3.8 rebound and 3.5 assists. Actual pick: Jalen Smith.
  11. San Antonio Spurs: Onyeka Okonowu (6). Could move Okonowu up a spot or two. He's gotten better every season, averaging 13.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 0.9 blocks as a 6-8 center in Atlanta last season. He even hit 32.4% on 3s, taking two a game. Actual pick: Devin Vassell.
  12. Sacramento Kings: Immanuel Quickley (25). A high-volume scorer but also a capable passer topping 5 assists per game since he got to Toronto. The jury's out on how much he can help a good team win. Actual pick: Tyrese Haliburton.
  13. New Orleans Pelicans: Obi Toppin (8). Another player who found his home in Indiana, averaging 10.4 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 70.0% on 2s and 38.3% on 3s. Defense is a problem. Actual pick: Kira Lewis Jr.
  14. Boston Celtics: Isaiah Joe (49). The Celtics are going to miss out on Pritchard and Joe is an excellent replacement. He's shot 41.2% on 3s for Oklahoma City, averaging 9.3 points. Actual pick: Aaron Nesmith.
  15. Orlando Magic: Isaiah Stewart (16). Not exactly what the defensive-oriented Magic need so if you want Cole Anthony back, I won't argue. Stewart has averaged 8.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 24.6 minutes per game with the Pistons. Actual pick: Anthony.
  16. Portland Trailblazers: Isaac Okoro (5). Has not lived up to being the fifth pick in the draft but is a solid role player who can shoot a little (35.1% on 3s) and play defense. Has seen his playing dip as the Cavs have gotten better. Actual pick: Isaiah Stewart.
  17. Minnesota Timberwolves: Precious Achiuwa (20). Another solid big man, averaging 7.6 points and 5.7 rebounds in 20.0 minutes per game for three teams. Actual pick: Aleksej Pokusevski.
  18. Dallas Mavericks: Nick Richards (42). Been an 8+-point, 6+-rebound player for the past three seasons, though with Charlotte and Phoenix. If you prefer a high-volume scorer to a low-volume big man, you can rearrange several picks in this stretch. Actual pick: Josh Green.
  19. Brooklyn Nets: Cole Anthony (15). An OK bench player who has seen his playing time decline as the Magic has gotten better. Shooting (41.9% overall, 34.5% on 3s) isn't quite where you'd want it but he's a capable distributor as well. Actual pick: Saddiq Bey.
  20. Miami Heat: Saddiq Bey (19). Similar player to Anthony but drops below him due to missing last season with a torn ACL. He's scored some points on bad teams, averaging 14.1 points and 5.2 assists while shooting 40.8% overall and 35.2% on 3s for Detroit, Atlanta and Washington (though he hasn't appeared in a game for the Wizards due to injury). Actual pick: Precious Achiuwa.
  21. Philadelphia 76ers: Sam Merrill (60). Has found a home in Cleveland and could go several spots higher after shooting 40.4% and 37.2% on more than 5 3s a game the past two seasons. Actual pick: Tyrese Maxey.
  22. Denver Nuggets: Patrick Williams (4). The 6-7 power forward went 4th overall and has been hugely disappointing but he slots here on the hope he eventually cashes in on his potential. Williams shot 39.2% on 3s but dropped to a career-low 39.7% overall this season. Has averaged 9.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in his career. Actual pick: Zeke Nnaji.
  23. New York Knicks: Josh Green (18). Green hasn't really established himself in five seasons in the NBA but has flashed more than the players below him — 38.0% on 3s, as many as 9.1 points per game. Actual pick: Leandro Bolmaro.
  24. Milwaukee Bucks: Tre Jones (41). The Spurs seemed to give up on Jones but he's flashed enough to remain in the first round, averaging 8.4 points and 4.7 assists in his career. Shoots 52.3% on 2s but 31.1% on 3s. Actual pick: R.J. Hampton.
  25. Oklahoma City Thunder: Jalen Smith (10). Pacers fans might rank Smith higher on this list as he averaged 10.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and shot 34.9% on 3s here. But he didn't play great in Chicago this season and Phoenix didn't renew his rookie contract as a lottery pick. Actual pick: Immanuel Quickley.
  26. Boston Celtics: KJ Martin (52). We are at the fungible portion of the draft. Martin's averaged as many as 12.7 points and shot better than 35.0% on 3s his first two seasons but has played for four teams in the past three season. Actual pick: Payton Pritchard.
  27. Utah Jazz: Paul Reed (58). He averaged 7.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and shot 36.8% on 3s in 2023-24. That's more than the second big off the bench ... but that's been what he is the other four seasons. Actual pick: Udoka Azubuike.
  28. Los Angeles Lakers: Xavier Tillman (35). He was a solid big man in Memphis, averaging 6.2 points and 4.3 rebounds but lost his role in Boston this season. Four years as a solid backup makes him the pick here. Actual pick: Jaden McDaniels.
  29. Toronto Raptors: James Wiseman (2). A disappointing No. 2 pick who played one game with the Pacers this season and tore his Achilles. Hard to know what condition he'll be in when he returns but his flashes are better than anything else we've seen from the rest of the options. Actual pick: Malachi Flynn.
  30. Boston Celtics: Vit Krejci (37). He topped 6.0 points per game three times in four seasons, as well as 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Someone has to be the last pick. Actual pick: Desmond Bane.