Sacramento Kings‘ rising star Tyrese Haliburton has unfortunately entered the league’s COVID health and safety protocols. Not long before their game against the Houston Rockets, the announcement was made that the Sacramento sophomore is the latest member of the Kings‘ to be placed in said protocols.
Things have not been fun for the Kings this season for a litany of reasons, but their continued loss of personnel has been a source of frustration all year long. After tonight’s game against the Rockets, the team will have two more games this week against the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks, respectively. Haliburton’s presence will obviously be missed in those games and any others he’s forced to miss.
In his second season in the NBA, Tyrese Haliburton has averaged 13.7 points and 7.1 assists while shooting 42.9% from deep. Haliburton was really hitting his stride as of late as he averaged over 17 points and nine assists over his last fifteen games.
The Kings will miss Haliburton’s production over this next stretch of games, but there will be an opportunity to check the stock of valuable trade pieces.
At a time where the Kings’ future is surrounded by mystery, giving players an opportunity to raise their stock is of the utmost importance for the team. The Kings are in no way better without Haliburton, but given the current state of uncertainty, it’s helpful to check the stock of the other members of this team.
Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, and possibly even De’Aaron Fox will find themselves under the microscope over the next few games as Monte McNair checks the team’s inventory and prepares to find a way to accomplish the team’s goal of making the playoffs.
Hopefully, Haliburton recovers quickly. The Kings, however, can’t sit on their hands waiting for him to return. They must produce one way or another. With any luck, they’re able to both raise the stock of a few players and, more importantly, earn a few wins along the way.