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Detroit Pistons: The biggest what-if from the 2020 NBA Draft

By Aaron Kellerstrass

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) passes the ball while Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) defends Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) passes the ball while Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) defends Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Detroit Pistons, Saddiq Bey
Tyrese Haliburton #0 of the Indiana Pacers dribbles the ball while being guarded by Saddiq Bey #41 of the Detroit Pistons (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Detroit Pistons: The biggest what-if of the 2020 NBA Draft

Tyrese Haliburton had a solid rookie season for the Sacramento Kings, averaging 13 points, 5.3 assists, three rebounds and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 47 percent from the field and over 40 percent from 3-point range.

He was traded to Indiana and just kept improving, averaging 20 points 10.4 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals last season with even better shooting splits, which is what led him to being an All-Star.

Hayes, in contrast, has yet to even shoot 40 percent from the field overall and has been one of the worst 3-point shooters in the league in his short career.

Related Story. The worst shooters in Detroit Pistons' history may surprise you. light

So what if Detroit had taken Haliburton instead of Hayes?

The first permutation could have been that the Pistons were too good in 2020-21 to not land the #1 pick. It’s possible that Haliburton would have pushed them to a few more wins, which might have cost them that pick and potentially Cade Cunningham.

But let’s assume for a minute that Detroit did still get that pick. Would they still have drafted Cade?

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