Net Rating: +1

Athleticism / Frame Overview: Pretty quick hips and feet (when in his stance). Measurements are not available, but he looks long – somewhere around a 6’11 wingspan, maybe? Balance / core strength needs work. Frame is not great – thin all around, with high (and thin) hips and thin shoulders. Can probably add some weight, but not much.

Mentality Overview: Glue guy – does what is needed to win on both sides of the ball. Not a big risk-taker, not an engine on offense (though is a good PnR PG).

Offensive Role: PnR PG, C&S off ball, glue guard – does the little things on offense (stays in role, direct, quick decision-making, swing passes, etc). Needs players who can get into the paint off penetration around him to help keep the offensive flow.

Defensive Role: PG (G) defender, high level team defender, defensive playmaker, glue guy – does all the little things on defense (talks / directs team defense, rotates, stunts, tags, etc).

Offense:

Synergy Profile: scoring : 84 possessions + assists : 97

Shot Chart in HC:

Not including post ups or putbacks (missing two games):

Finishing: Good finisher with very soft touch. Even though he has a thin frame and does not attack the rim that often, Halliburton has shown soft touch and body control around the rim. Crafty finishes and does a nice job avoiding contact without getting himself out of position for a good angle – he adjusts for an angle he can use without getting hit. Does not take contact well, which makes sense given his thin frame. He is able to get by with his frame due to body control, contorting his body and release angle (though can use some work here), and very soft touch Opportunistic crashing the offensive glass. Although he does not attack the glass that often, when he does, Haliburton does a nice job timing his finishes, in addition to taking smart angles to the ball, leading to some nice putbacks. Nice job using his length to get finishes off. Has nice pop going downhill off one in space

Shooting: Weird form – though the form looks better than last year (and it is still very unorthodox). The mechanics once he brings the ball to his shot pocket aren’t horrible, though still odd – his elbow is nice, relaxed, and not flaring (nice job pointing it to the rim); he has a quick release and does not get phased by closeouts; the ball looks like it’s coming off the correct fingers; he has a nice follow through; and the shot is released from around head level. On the flip side, the ball starts low, it’s more of a set shot (which leaves room for the shot to be blocked); and his feet are often close together (and often times pointed away from the rim). It works for him in C&S situations and potentially off some screens / flares, but I do not think it is conducive to an off the bounce game…or at least having it be a sizable part of his game.

Shot Versatility: Not much versatility here – will likely be someone who will be pretty limited to C&S, with maybe some pullups out of the PnR and some basic flares off screens – small sample size, but he did a very nice job reading and running off baseline screens, and then setting and getting the shot up quickly. Does a nice job moving to the open spot without the ball. In terms of off the bouncer jumpers, while he has looked better taking off the bounce jumpers / pullup jumpers (at the very least, he looks more willing to take these), he is still a bad shooter in this area. 16/57 on off the bounce jumpers, which ranks 327th out of 383 division 1 players with 50+ attempts. His form is not conducive to taking pullups, so I don’t project this being a big part of his game going forward. However, I do think he will be able to shoot in the PnR if the defense goes under the screen.

Shot IQ: Good shot IQ – both in terms of playing to his strength and playing to the modern NBA. In terms of playing to the modern NBA, he took very few jumpers from midrange. Out of 137 jumpers taken in the halfcourt, 112 of them were threes – which he hit at a 38.4% clip (81st percentile). Haliburton’s shooting motion does not lead to many off the bounce jumpers, so aside from dribbling to get into rhythm and dribbling in the PnR as the defense goes under, Haliburton will likely not be taking many off the bounce jumpers – he took 57 in the halfcourt in college, 36 of those were from 3. Haliburton did try taking some midrange jumpers, but it was not something he did breaking from the offense (or very often). If I had one quip with his shot locations, it would be the fact he took only 38 attempts around the paint in the halfcourt. Although he was a very efficient finisher, ideally the volume goes up a bit more – especially if he is able to get a little stronger. He has awesome touch, and if he is able to get downhill a bit more, if you couple that with his touch and passing ability, his PnR ability levels up. Basically, jump shot selection is good but would like to see him attack the rim a bit more.

Handle: Does not have a great handle in terms of advanced moves, but has an efficient handle – he knows the moves he has in his bag and uses them effectively without turning the ball over (it’s a functional handle and does not let the ball get away from him). Does a nice job using hesitations to help beat defenders. Can piece together multiple moves in flashes, but it’s not something he goes to often. Ball can get a little loose when pressured, but still does a nice job keeping overall control. Needs to do a better job “feeling” his defender (being aware of where he is) and shielding the defender from the dribble – ball can get poked away from him.

Passing: Very smart passer and does not force many passes – takes what the defense gives him and almost always makes the correct read. Has great touch on his pass that is easy to catch and gives the offensive player an opportunity to attack without having to adjust for the pass (nice accuracy and touch). If he does not have an angle to make the pass he wants / sees, he does a nice job moving to find a better angle or manipulating the defense with fakes to open up the angle he wants. He might not make fancy passes or elite reads, but he makes high level smart ones that put his teammates in the best position to attack (shoot, drive, swing to the next man, etc). Nice job looking up in transition and kicking it ahead of the defense to beat them back, though he is prone to forcing passes here. Flashes live accurate live-action passes, which is great to see – coupling that with his vision and quick decision-making, Haliburton’s passing is a legit weapon. Tends to go to jump passes quite a bit, which is concerning – a sizable number of his turnovers came from jump passes. Though he does do a job adjusting in air / manipulating the defense with fakes (eye, pass, etc) in air, if nothing opens up, he’ll force a pass that isn’t there because he has to get rid of the ball before coming back down. Gets a bit antsy and is prone to forcing passes from BLOBs when he does not see a clear pass. Of his 61 turnovers, at least 25 should be considered “forced looks” / zoning in on one read…and while this is a high number or turnovers from forced passes, considering his assists / would be assists (and successful passes), the number is not that big of an issue – would just like to see him not zone in on one look and force fewer passes.

PnR (General): High level PnR passer, room to grow as a scorer. Needs to develop a three for when the defense goes under the screen. Sees the full court (3 level passer) in the PnR and does a nice job taking what the defense gives him – does not force many passes. Does a nice job using hesitations, ball fakes, and body/head fakes to get the defender to pause for a second giving him room to attack or opening up a better passing lane – manipulates the defense well. Great job using the re-screen. Shows some snaking ability, but does not get to the middle (or the defender on his back) that often.

PnR Passing: Very good PnR passer – sees the full court, does a nice job hitting teammates in their shooting pocket / where they can make a move after the catch, hit the roll with a perfect pocket pass or an over the top / lead pass, and sees the full court (3 level passer). Not someone who forces many passes in the PnR – he reads the defense and simply takes the read the defense gives him. He is comfortable taking the extra defender and hitting the correct pass (though he usually goes backwards and sideways), but also does a nice job making a quick decision as a passer – if the big defender readies himself to trap or help comes, Halliburton does a nice job getting the ball to the correct player. Nice job using the re-screen to get an advantage on the POA defender. Does a nice job catching the defender off guard with a stop, quick pivot, and hitting the open man (pop, open 3 cutter, etc). Nice job manipulating defense with his eyes, pass fakes, and also jump passes knowing where he wants to pass but can adjust if defense adjusts (though he might go to these a bit too much). Nice use of hesitation and change of pace on downhill attacks…would like to see him add the ability to keep the defender on his hip, though, and snake the PnR – he’s shown flashes of both, but not that much.

PnR Scoring: Not much of a PnR scorer, but does a nice job getting to his spots. He’s comfortable shooting from 3 if the defense goes under, but is not a good shooter in these situations (yet?), at 4/24. Even though he does not turn the corner and attack the rim often in the PnR, if there is room to attack, Haliburton will attack and finish (8/12) – he picks his spots, maybe a bit too judiciously here. His soft touch and good body control help him finish here. Shows some comfortability shooting right off the bounce without setting his feet, but the results are not there unless he has time to set. Does a nice job using his hesitations and fakes (head/body) to get the defender to pause for a second, giving him a better opening to attack going downhill. Shows flashes of attacking the mismatch and driving if there is a switch and the big is defending him.

Assist Chart:

Defense:

Synergy Profile (I know there is a lot of noise here, but this is just added information): 47th Percentile

Defensive Shot Chart (A lot of noise, but interesting. Paint = as primary and secondary defender. Missing 2 games)

Awareness / Team Defense: High level team defender – does a nice job talking and directing the defense. Makes good rotations along the perimeter in “helping the helper” when the defense is scrambling, but closeouts need work. Has some flashes around the rim too, but there are times when you see him second guess the rotation and, though he tries to recover, gives being a half second late, giving up a look at the rim that wouldn’t have been there had he gone with his initial inclination. Good defensive playmaker who generally does a nice job keeping his hands (and body) in passing or driving lanes. Nice job stunting and digging on drives and has flashes of tagging the roller / being in the correct position in team defense in the PnR, though this is not totally consistent yet depending on where he is defending from off ball. When Haliburton is not guarding a man in the corner, he does a nice job playing the roll and man – stunting / tagging, proper positioning, etc. However, when he is in the far corner, the timing and positioning can be off from time to time – either being too close to his man and late to help, or too far from his man and scrambling to contest (more on that below). Two things to note here: 1) this is not an every possession issue, more consistency; and 2) this should be fixed pretty easily with proper coaching and pointing this out on film. Quick reactions off ball in help.

Rim Protection: Makes nice rotations into the paint to help protect, but doesn’t always trust his instincts…so he’ll second guess his rotation, and be a half second late making it difficult to recover in time. Then there are other times where he makes a beautiful read / recovery. Basically, I would like to see him trust his instincts a bit more when rotating in the paint because they’re often the right read. Can make some quick reactions into the paint to protect the rim moving from midrange / the perimeter. However, when his man is driving, he doesn’t always contest – he’ll get bumped off the spot and give up on the play or just simply decide the contest is pointless. Not someone who can body a player off his spot or use his strength to help dislodge (or keep away from the rim) in air or on the floor. Going forward, I can see definitely some nice rotations into the paint for weakside blocks, but his lack of great pop and his lack of strength will limit his ceiling and how effective he is here.

PnR Defense: Needs work – he tends to take a hop on his first step and often takes a bad angle on coverage, thus getting caught behind the screen. Is also prone to taking a slight step back before going over the screen. I would like to see him a bit more relaxed on PnR and not biting on any initial move before it’s made – he can get jumpy (biting on moves and shifting his weight towards the side a move was made) in the PnR just like he does on closeouts. When the big actually sets the screen and does not slip it, he gets stuck behind the play because he does not have the strength to fight through screens – his reaction time here is also oddly slow…he doesn’t “feel the screen” that well. When he is getting over slips, he is prone to turning his body to face the screen and run over the top, which helps him get over quickly with his poor footwork, but it also opens him up to other issues – hard to stop and go, makes him an easier target to screen off even on slips, etc. Also does not do a good job getting skinny over the top on stationary screens before the screen comes – he tends to wait until there is contact (or when the screener is right next to him) before he moves. Not switchable in PnR – he has no lower body strength to keep screeners from getting to their spot…it’s basically like he’s not there when the big wants to roll. Going back to his control, he needs to try to reign in his footwork a bit – they can flail out as he’s bringing his feet around the screen (and turning his hip) / getting over the screen – this makes it hard to get back in control land eats time, as he now has another moving piece he has to get under control. He also has to work on not bringing his hands out as he goes over the screen, as the high IQ PnR ballhandlers can get the refs to call a foul in these situations. Flashes use of hands to take away passing lanes and play from behind, but it’s pretty rough overall – there is an “easy” (coachable, at the very least) route where he can become an effective PnR defender with better use of his length. In addition to the poor footwork, he’s not switchable, does not “feel” the screen well, can’t fight through screens because of his lack of strength, and takes poor angles getting over the top of screens (and turns into the screen, giving the screener a bigger target to hit).

Shot Contests / Closeouts: Uses length well, but overall needs work closing out, but there are flashes – needs to iron out footwork, stop going for as many fakes, and improve positioning off ball to lessen number of scrambles off ball (see more below). He tends to close too hard (and goes for shot fakes), especially when he’s scrambling from team / positional defense – this gives up easy driving lanes and forces the rest of the defense to scramble to cover. Though not an excuse, if he were in better position off ball, he would not be forced to scramble to close out on the shooter – so, in theory, if he cleans up his positioning off ball, because there are flashes of good closeouts (controlled, shorter steps, hands up, ready to move, etc), he wouldn’t have to scramble that much…which would then mean cleaner closeouts. Footwork wise, he tends to be too jumpy and is prone to opening up his hips on the close, again giving up driving lanes or making it easier to take him off the bounce than what would happen if he closed in control. That said, there are still definitely some flashes of good contests – choppy / short steps, hands up, ready to move, etc. Nice job contesting jumpers when in isolation – quick reactions and length make it easier to contest l on the release, even if he’s not close to the ballhandler.

Off Ball Defense: Inconsistent off ball. There are times when he does a nice job tracking his man through screens, but then there are other ones where he simply loses him – does not see the ball and his man, bad angle (ends up playing from behind), or is just taken by a sudden movement. Not someone who can fight through screens due to frame / lack of strength and his technique needs work – needs to stop staying upright and dip his inside shoulder through the screen. Close outs off screens / chasing guys can be inconsistent – generally comes off a bit hot. When his man is running through the lane, he does a nice job keeping his hands in the passing lane.

Man (ISO) Defense: Inconsistent, but there are nice flashes. When he’s in his stance (not resting on heels, not antsy, etc), he moves well – quick feet, quick hips (some really nice clips here), quick hands, and nice reaction time. However, he’s not always in his stance and is prone to hopping instead of sliding, which makes it easier to take him off the bounce…especially because his core strength / balance does not appear to be developed yet. Can get bodied due to strength, but has length to still contest (though does not do a good job contesting after being dislodged specifically at the rim). Does a nice job contesting jumpers when in isolation – quick reactions and length make it easier to contest l on the release, even if he’s not close to the ballhandler. Would like to see him do a better job using his length better from (if he’s caught behind the ballhandler) and contest more shots. Prone to biting on hesitations, fakes, in-and-outs, etc – needs to stay home / stay down here to prevent the ballhandler from getting into the paint.

Footwork: When Halilburton is in his stance and ready to move, the footwork can be solid – quick feet, quick hips, quick reactions, etc. However, it’s not consistent and I am not a huge fan of his overall footwork – he pops up and down instead of sliding, does not stay balanced well, and is prone to opening up his hips too much giving the ballhandler an angle to attack…. which is then exploited further if the ballhandler bodies him, pushing him off his spot. Very “jumpy” / antsy with his feet. Bites on hesitations, handle moves, and fakes. However, when he is in his stance and not hopping, Haliburton does a good job flipping his hips – the same goes for moving laterally, where when he is in his stance, he moves well.

Potential Switchability: Not switchable going up – thin frame up top and high hips / high center of gravity. If he gets stronger he might be able to switch onto non-drivers, but against non-small 3s, 4s, and 5s, I would not switch. If there is a switch, the team / help defense has to be on point and ready to help / double, or scram switch.

Written by Spencer Pearlman, https://twitter.com/SKPearlman, link to other pieces and in-depth reports: https://www.thestepien.com/author/spencerpearlman/