Tyrese Haliburton makes all-Rookie first team

As was expected, Tyrese Haliburton was named to the All-Rookie first team today, a mere formality after the Kings guard was a finalist for rookie of the year.

Haliburton received the third-most votes (98) for the first team — one voter put him on the second team — and was joined by Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Saddiq Bey, and Jae’Sean Tate in the five-man group (a reminder that there are no positional designations on the all-rookie team). The second team was made up of Desmond Bane, Isaac Okoro, Immanuel Quickley, Isaiah Stewart, and Patrick Williams.

The 12th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft finishes his rookie season with two rookie of the month awards (Edwards won the other three in the Western Conference), a top-three finish on the rookie of the year ballot, and a spot on the USA Rising Stars team, even though that event was not contested at this year’s All-Star festivities. More importantly, he is also fully healthy after missing the end of the season with a knee injury.

Haliburton is the eighth Sacramento King to make the all-rookie first team, but just the second in the last decade along with Marvin Bagley III. He’s the 12th overall in franchise history, dating back to Jerry Lucas with the Cincinnati Royals. Seven Kings have made the second team, including Bogdan Bogdanović most recently in 2018.

The Kings will have another lottery pick in the upcoming 2021 NBA Draft, and are currently slotted at No. 9 before the draft lottery on Tuesday, June 22.