NBA Draft Rumors: Best Landing Spots for Tyrese Haliburton Amid Warriors Buzz

The 2020 NBA draft will be unlike any other in recent memory.

In addition to the stress teams face due to the postponement of the 2019-20 regular season and the rescheduling of the event to October 16, they've had to adjust to the unorthodox way of evaluating talent using video conference calls and other extreme social distancing measures.

That in of itself could make it difficult for teams to identify the best pro prospects amid the scrum of available players on the board.

And while most of the organizations destined to be in the lottery continue to focus on players like LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards and James Wiseman as presumptive No. 1 overall picks, the Golden State Warriors continue to flout convention by throwing unexpected names into the mix.

According to ESPN's Jonathan Givony, Golden State is now "high" on Tyrese Haliburton.

The former Iowa State point guard is said to remind the Warriors of the recently departed Shaun Livingston, who was an integral part of their five-straight trips to the NBA Finals and three championships.

Standing 6'5", with a silky-smooth game and elite-level court vision, Haliburton could definitely step into the vital role that Livingston perfected off the bench.

Livingston was a steady and efficient weapon for Golden State's second unit and was able to spell Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson without ceding too much of a talent dropoff to the opposition.

Haliburton has the tools to mimic Livingston's effectiveness while serving as a great floor general with the ability to make all of the necessary passes in the pick-and-roll, in transition and in the halfcourt.

The ball-dominant guard is adept at reading defenses, making the right play and finding open shooters anywhere on the court.

He's able to beat switches, get to the rim and shoot effectively as a spot up shooter and off the catch.

His shooting mechanics will need to improve, however, and he'll need to be able to increase his shooting percentage off the dribble.

In just his second year playing for the Cyclones, over the course of 22 games, he averaged 15.2 points, 5.9 rebounds 6.5 assists and 2.5 steals.

Additionally, his 4.5-1 assist-to-turnover ratio was second only to Iowa's Connor McCaffery in all of college basketball this season.

Those stats were impressive to the analytics and numbers nerds, especially considering that he stepped into the role as the first option on the offensive end, but what really stood out was his 50.4 percent shooting percent from the floor and an impressive 41.9 percent from beyond the arc.

The three-point shot is a major weapon in the Warriors' offensive schematics, so if Haliburton can continue to hit the long ball at the next level, he'll make a seamless transition in the Bay.

And while the 20-year old phenom's leadership, feel for the game and marksmanship has Golden State foaming at the mouth, teams around the league are equally impressed with his "maturity and emotional intelligence."

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic reported that teams have looked into the sophomore lead guard and come away with the conclusion that he's an "intelligent and thoughtful" young man.

"Sources have said that Haliburton will be able to adjust to just about any situation he’s put in early in his career, and will find success," Vecenie wrote. "Consistently, he’s come up as being one of the most impressive human beings in this class."

Not surprisingly, Haliburton's head coach, Steve Prohm, a point guard savant who previously coached NBA players such as Isaiah Canaan and Cameron Payne, agrees that he'll marry his talent with hard work and be successful at the next level.

"A lot of it’s in the DNA," Prohm told Chris Dortch of NBA.com. "Unselfish. In his heart, Tyrese is a giver. Feel for the game. Ability to make people better. Charismatic. Personable … He’ll be the governor of Wisconsin [Haliburton’s home state] when it’s over. He can own any room."

Other teams in need of a player like Haliburton are the Phoenix Suns, who need a point guard to pair with burgeoning star and volume shooter Devin Booker, and the Detroit Pistons.

Obviously, Haliburton is not a first overall pick, so if Golden State does win the lottery, they'll likely have to trade down to get him.

And if they make the right deal, they may be able to get their man and another prospect in the late first round or early second round to boot.

Follow Maurice Bobb on Twitter, @ReeseReport