NBA Swing: The 11 Players Drafted Before Tyrese Haliburton

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With the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals, many are praising guard Tyrese Haliburton for the run he has led his team on this season. Looking at the rise of Haliburton, many are looking back at the 2020 NBA Draft and the numerous teams that passed on him before the Sacramento Kings drafted him at 12. While a player or two has had a similar run to Haliburton, it can be argued that 9 to 10 teams missed out on Haliburton.

Pick No. 1- Anthony Edwards

The first overall pick of the 2020 NBA draft, Anthony Edwards, was quick to make a name for himself in the NBA. In his rookie season, he would put up 19.3 PPG and 4.7 RPG, finishing second in rookie of the year voting. He would jump up to 21.3 PPG in his sophomore season as he shifted into more of a number one option for the team, leading Minnesota to their first of four consecutive playoff appearances, making the Western Conference Finals the two last seasons. In 2025, Ant is a three-time All-Star and a name many consider as one of the faces of the new generation in the NBA.

Pick No. 2- James Wiseman

The second pick of the 2020 NBA draft, the Golden State Warriors would select Memphis center James Wiseman. Wiseman would be the Warriors’ first attempt to add a timeline focused on youth next to the dynasty timeline of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson. In his rookie season, Wiseman would only play 39 games, putting up 11.5 PPG and 5.8 RPG. He would miss the entire 2021-22 season, the same season the Warriors would win the NBA championship. He would play another 20 games with the Warriors before being traded to the Detroit Pistons after the Warriors determined he was not a fit with the team. He would spend one full season with the Pistons following the trade before signing with the Indiana Pacers on a two-year deal. He would tear his Achilles early in the season before being traded to the Toronto Raptors and waived by the team.

Pick No. 3- LaMelo Ball

The third pick of the draft, the Charlotte Hornets would select LaMelo Ball. Ball would spend time in Lithuania and Australia before being drafted by Charlotte. In his rookie season, Ball would average 15.7 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 6.1 APG in 51 games, winning Rookie of the Year. Ball would step up in his sophomore season, jumping up to 20.1 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 7.1 APG, becoming a first-time All-Star and playing the most games in his career so far at 75 games. Since then, Ball has been hampered by lower-body injuries, playing 105 games over the last three seasons. Despite being the number one option on the team, Ball has not led the Hornets to success so far, with the team winning no more than 43 games with Ball on the team. This season, the team would finish with a 19-63 record, the worst record with Ball on the team. With the lack of success so far, there are rumors Ball could be on the move, with his older brother Lonzo suggesting he could be an offseason target for the Los Angeles Clippers.

Pick No. 4- Patrick Williams

The Chicago Bulls would select Florida State forward Patrick Williams with the fourth pick. Playing 29 games with Florida State all off the bench, there were questions surrounding the Bulls drafting Williams. Some would argue he had the potential of a player like Kawhi Leonard, having a similar build, but Williams has been far from that. Throughout his five-year career, Williams has averaged no more than 10.2 PPG and 4.6 RPG, with the forward putting up career lows this season. Despite his play and lack of improvement over the years, Williams was able to sign a five-year, $90 million deal in the 2024 offseason. With it looking like Williams may have already peaked and many calling him a bust, there are questions regarding his future going forward.

Pick No. 5- Isaac Okoro

Isaac Okoro would be selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the fifth pick of the draft and has remained with the team for his five-year career. In his rookie season, he would average a career-high 9.6 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 1.9 APG. Okoro would start every game he played the first two seasons of his career before starting to come off the bench more during the 2022-23 season. Okoro would sign a three-year, $33 million deal in the 2024 offseason, but would average career lows in minutes, points, and rebounds per game during the 2024-25 season.

Pick No. 6- Onyeka Okongwu

The Atlanta Hawks would select Onyeka Okongwu with the sixth pick in the draft. Okongwu would come off the bench much of his rookie season, averaging just 4.6 PPG and 3.3 RPG. Okongwu would immediately take a step forward in his sophomore year, nearly doubling his points and rebounds per game. The 2023-24 season would see him average over 10.0 PPG for the first time alongside 6.8 RPG, helping him land a four-year, $61.9 million rookie extension. The 2024-25 season would see Okongwu average career-highs with 13.4 PPG and 8.9 RPG while also starting a career-high 40 games with the team.

Pick No. 7- Killian Hayes

The Detroit Pistons would select Killian Hayes with the seventh pick in the draft and would not see much from their lottery pick. Hayes would average 6.8 PPG and 5.3 APG in 26 games. Hayes’ role would take a blow with the Pistons selecting Cade Cunningham with the first pick of the 2022 draft. Hayes would see slight improvement in his second season, but would see his best year during the 2022-23 season, the same season Cunningham would miss 70 games. He would average 10.3 PPG and 6.2 APG before his stats would drop again in the 2023-24 season. Hayes would be waived in February 2024 by the Pistons before being signed by the Brooklyn Nets in September 2024 and waived by the team a month later. He would join Brooklyn’s G-League team, the Long Island Nets, where he currently plays.

Pick No. 8- Obi Toppin

The New York Knicks would select Obi Toppin with the eighth pick of the draft. Born in Brooklyn and playing high school basketball in Ossining, New York, Toppin would be able to play at home. He would spend his entire rookie season coming off the bench, averaging 4.1 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 62 games. He would spend the next two seasons spending most of the time coming off the bench. The Knicks would trade Toppin to the Indiana Pacers during 2023 free agency for two second-round picks. Toppin would average 10.3 PPG and 3.9 RPG during the 2023-24 season, leading to a four-year, $58 million deal being signed in the 2024 offseason. Toppin would average career-highs in the 2024-25 season with 10.5 PPG and 4.0 RPG, being a playoff riser during the team’s run to the 2025 NBA Finals.

Pick No. 9- Deni Avdija

Projected as a top-five pick in the draft, Israeli forward Deni Avdija would fall to the Washington Wizards with the ninth pick. Avdija would average 6.3 PPG and 4.9 RPG in 54 games his rookie season before rising to 8.4 PPG and 5.2 RPG his second season. Avdija would continue to improve over his next two seasons with the Wizards, playing over 70 games each season. Avdija would be traded to the Portland Trailblazers in the 2024 offseason. He would average a career-high with 16.9 PPG and 7.3 RPG, but March 2025 would be his best month to date in the NBA. In 13 games over the month, Avdija would average 23.4 PPG, 9.8 RPG, and 5.2 APG on splits of 51% from the field and 45% from three.

Pick No. 10- Jalen Smith

The Phoenix Suns would select Jalen Smith out of Maryland. Smith would only play 27 games with the Suns in his rookie season, with the team sending him to the NBA G-League Agua Caliente Clippers, where he would spend most of the season. Smith would be traded to the Indiana Pacers in just his second season, averaging only 4.1 PPG with the team. Smith would spend much of his time in Indiana as the backup to Myles Turner. In the 2024 offseason, Smith would sign a three-year, $27 million deal with the Chicago Bulls. He would spend most of the season as the backup to Nikola Vucevic, but would begin to lose minutes to Zach Collins after he joined the team via the Zach LaVine trade in February 2025.

Pick No. 11- Devin Vassell

Still early in their rebuild post-Kawhi Leonard, the San Antonio Spurs would select Devin Vassell at 11. As a rookie, Vassell would spend most of the season coming off the bench behind DeMar DeRozan, but would get more opportunities as a starter in his second season. The 2023-24 season would see Vassell average career-highs with 19.5 PPG and 4.1 APG alongside 3.8 RPG. He would sign a five-year rookie extension in the summer of 2024 worth $135 million, but would see his averages go down slightly with the arrivals of De’Aaron Fox and Harrison Barnes.

Pick No. 12- Tyrese Haliburton

At 12, the Sacramento Kings would select Iowa State guard Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton would average 13.0 PPG, coming off the bench behind De’Aaron Fox much of the season. In a move that has haunted the team to this day, the Kings would trade Haliburton in a trade to the Indiana Pacers for Domantas Sabonis. Haliburton would see his scoring instantly increase with the Pacers, averaging a career-high 20.7 PPG in his first full season with the team. Haliburton would be an All-Star in the 2023 and 2024 NBA seasons, leading his team to the Eastern Conference finals in 2024. Despite a slow start to the 2024-25 season and his scoring dipping just a little bit, Haliburton is having a career year. He would finish All-NBA for the second year in a row but would also lead his team on an unexpected run to the NBA Finals. With the season he’s had, many are arguing whether Haliburton has reached superstar status.