NBA Mock Draft: Timberwolves at No. 1 bring order to chaos

The Pelicans’ bubble run was so disappointing that it’s seemed to really change the team’s outlook in just a few weeks. Coach Alvin Gentry is out and change is in the air. Whatever personnel changes the team sees this offseason, Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram seem locked in as the foundational pieces and anything New Orleans does will be building around them.

Haliburton is a 6-foot-5 primary ball-handler with a 6-foot-7 wingspan and an unorthodox but incredibly diverse skill set. He averaged 16.6 points, 7.0 assists and 6.4 rebounds per game for Iowa State this season, with steal and block percentages of 3.8 and 2.0, respectively. He has strange shooting mechanics but has now made 42.6 percent of his 237 3-point attempts across two college seasons, which implies he should at least hold up as a spot-up threat. He’s one of the most creative passers in this class and, as the steal and block percentages imply, a versatile and disruptive defender.

For a team that had future stars in place and is still building around them, Haliburton’s high-floor and two-way diversity is the perfect complement.