NBA Draft 2020: Stock risers and fallers from beginning of the season

A month into the season, a lot of players have seen their NBA Draft stock change. Which players are rising and falling on the boards?

With Thanksgiving tournaments having wrapped up, we are roughly a quarter of the way through the NCAA Basketball season. The tournaments give NBA scouts a great opportunity to watch players multiple times over a short stretch. While there is no clear-cut number one prospect, the 2020 NBA Draft appears to have more depth than the previous one.

Before conference play kicks off, let’s take a look at some of the players who have boosted their stock so far and some who have not.

Tyrese Haliburton – Rising

Haliburton was a sneaky good prospect last season at Iowa State. He averaged under seven points per game but was essentially the fourth option on a Cyclone team that got bounced in the first round of the tournament. But, he showed off his natural passing ability and length on the defensive end. He could have tested the waters but made a wise decision to return for his sophomore year

This summer, Haliburton had his first sign of exponential growth. He averaged just under seven assists per game for the USA U19 team as they won the Fiba World Cup. Any questions of Haliburton becoming a primary ball-handler were quickly answered.

Haliburton was leading the nation in assists entering the Battle 4 Atlantis and opened the eyes of the public with some strong national television performances. Against Michigan, he showed his scoring ability with a career-high 25 points. He followed that up with a near triple-double against Alabama with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. He capped the weekend with a 19 point, seven assist outing against a stingy Seton Hall defense. He used his length to explode to the rim for some elusive finishes.

Haliburton is not super explosive but makes up for it in IQ. He’s got a keen awareness on the court and uses a variety of ball fakes to keep defenders off-balance.

The biggest knock on Halliburton is his jumper. He has range on his shot, but on catch-and-shoot opportunities he seldom gets elevation. He also has a funky release that will likely be his downfall in the NBA draft, but he is by no means a bad shooter. He is a career 42 percent marksman from deep and I was impressed by his mid-range game in Atlantis.

Despite a guard-heavy draft, Haliburton’s length makes him unique to the group. Currently, he is in the late lottery range but could slip due to the jump shot concerns. If he keeps playing the way he’s been playing, his stock could continue to rise. If he does fall past the lottery, some team will be getting an absolute steal.