Haliburton vows he’s ready for NYC glare
Iowa State point guard Tyrese Haliburton won’t be daunted if he winds up being drafted by the Knicks, as some project.
“Being in New York, they always talk about the pressure of being a Knick,’’ Haliburton said Tuesday on ESPN’s “The Jump.” “I feel like no matter where I go, the pressure I put on myself is more than I’ll get from anywhere. No matter where I’m at, that pressure is prominent and it will be more from me. I’m ready to play anywhere.’’
Regarded as one of the top two point guards in the draft, Haliburton is not the typical one-anddone player. He finished his sophomore year at Iowa State and mostly flew under the radar until recently.
The NBA lottery was supposed to be staged Tuesday night, with the draft combine in Chicago featuring player measurements and team interviews kicking off Wednesday. It’s all been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, however.
The Knicks, whom The Post reported in February were seeking a scoring point guard in the draft, still stand at No. 6 in the lottery seedings.
“I think the Knicks are on the right track if they take him at 6,’’ one NBA executive said.
The draft is expected to be postponed from its scheduled June 25 date.
“I know eventually it will all get handled and [we’ll] have an answer soon,’’ Haliburton said. “People in this world, a lot of uncertainty on what will happen in their life. I take it in stride. People have it worse than I do. I’ll be all right.”
The 6-foot-5 Haliburton checks a lot of boxes with his ability to run a team, high basketball IQ and length on defense. He weighs just 175 pounds and his upside is not as high as LaMelo Ball, who is favored as the top point-guard pick.
“I’m a fan of Haliburton,’’ one NBA scout told The Post. “I thought he really knew how to play. He has great height for the position and exceptional length. However, he is very thin. He also has to fix his shot because of a low release point. But he has touch and can shoot from distance.
“He has knowledge and ability to defend, but needs to add strength. He leads and competes. He’s a very good prospect. Physicality is a question, but otherwise one of better and more mature guards in a weak draft.”
Haliburton finished his career at Iowa State with a 42.6 3-point shooting percentage. As a sophomore he averaged 15.2 points, 6.5 assists and 5.9 rebounds.
Haliburton flew under the radar coming out of high school as just a three-star recruit, he believes, because he didn’t join the Nike, Adidas or Under Armour youth circuit. Instead, Haliburton played for his high school in Oshkosh, Wis., and local youth programs.
Asked on ESPN about his criticized shooting mechanics, Haliburton said, “The most important part for me is it goes in and I think it goes in at a pretty high clip. I experimented from my freshman and sophomore year but my shot has only gotten better.”