Tyrese Haliburton always has a smile on his face. At least he tries to keep it whenever he can, be it on the court or off it. But one particular incident stops that smile from appearing even now.
Haliburton revealed that the Detroit Pistons not selecting him in the draft felt ‘personal’. The now Indiana Pacers superstar felt the Pistons not picking him made him angry.
Tyrese Haliburton was the guest on the show Taylor Rooks X on Bleacher Report. During the conversation, Rooks asked Haliburton of the teams that did not pick him, which team’s decision hit him the most. Haliburton replied;
For sure Detroit– I remember looking at my agent. He was behind the camera. He was like [no]. I was like, what is this? They’re not picking me? Flashed out Killian Hayes or whatever, and I’m like, ‘What?’ In that moment, I was frustrated.
He further elaborated:
I knew that the Kings were my floor. I keep my expectations low, if I would’ve got drafted I would’ve been surprised but still, in the moment, I was just angry. I was like, ‘What do you mean? They need a point guard, and they’re not picking me?’ That one felt the most personal.
Haliburton said that when he saw the news flash on the screen that the Pistons had selected Killian Hayes with the 7th pick, he did not understand why they did that. He mentioned that ESPN rated him as the 4th best player in the draft and the second-best point guard.
According to Haliburton, of the teams that were picking in the top 10, the Pistons were the best setup for him. They needed a point guard, and they did not have any other guards good enough to compete with Haliburton for that point position. Haliburton was the obvious pick for the Pistons. At least that’s what the draft reports and his calculation presented.
“They’re not picking me? And then [on the TV it] flashed up, ‘Killian Hayes,’ and I’m like, ‘What!?’”
Hali’s story about the Pistons passing on him in the draft 😅 @TaylorRooks
(via Taylor Rooks X) pic.twitter.com/rPnWiThx6z
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 20, 2024
But the Pistons drafted Hayes with the pick. Haliburton said that he was gesturing to his agent on seeing this. Even he was flabbergasted by the move. Haliburton has moved on and will face the Pistons on the 22nd when the league reopens from the All-Star break.
The Detroit Pistons lost out by not drafting Tyrese Haliburton
Haliburton was drafted by the Sacramento Kings with the 12th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. After playing two seasons second fiddle to superstar DeAaron Fox, Haliburton was traded to the Indiana Pacers. Since coming to Indiana, Haliburton has emerged as the superstar he once was touted to be.
Tyrese Haliburton is a 2-time All-Star, and the Detroit Pistons are the worst team in the league (image via NBA/X)Haliburton is now a two-time All-Star. His emergence has pushed the Pacers to 6th in the playoff standings. Such has been his improvement that it makes both the Pistons not drafting him and the Kings trading him away has been nothing short of a blessing in disguise. Haliburton has a brilliant future ahead of him with the way things are currently.
From all of this, the biggest losers are the Detroit Pistons. 4 years of lottery picks and they are still the worst team in the league. Who knows what would have happened if they had selected Haliburton? But he still feels the sting of it.
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