Editor’s note: This article was updated after receiving statement from Iowa State basketball. 

After receiving an MRI on Sunday, Tyrese Haliburton’s season is officially over, according to a press release from Iowa State men’s basketball.

The sophomore guard will miss the remainder of the 2020 basketball season after he broke his wrist falling to floor on Saturday against Kansas State when blocking a shot attempt.

Haliburton’s wrist was already going through pain and injury concerns earlier in the season, when he was sidelined before Iowa State would take on and eventually lose to Florida A&M on Dec. 31.

The sophomore from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and the rest of the team spoke with the media Monday after the news of his injury prognosis was official. Haliburton said that while many people will look to see if someone on the bench will be able to step in Haiburton’s shoes, he sees that as the wrong way to look at the situation.

“I think that’s the problem right there is that people think that somebody’s gonna have to step in and do what I do but you just gonna have to fill into your role,” Haliburton said.

Haliburton was being projected as a top-10 lottery pick in the upcoming 2020 NBA Draft before the break, but with his season being cut short, the high draft position could be in jeopardy. 

Rasir Bolton will be the main point guard that will shift into Haliburton’s role as the main ball-handler and facilitator for the Cyclones. Bolton said the injury really hurt him and the team, especially with Haliburton’s character being so team-oriented. Bolton said he knows Haliburton was hurt the moment he heard about the news but said that he will still be a big part of the team from the sideline.

“It hurt, it really hurt to see a kid like that have to go down, he loves the game, loves basketball, loves Iowa State,” Bolton said. “I’m sure he wanted to finish out the year fighting with us but we’re just praying for his recovery and we’re there to help him every step of the way.”

Bolton said the loss of Haliburton will only increase the intensity the rest of the team should feel in practice and in preparation, as new roles and playing time will be available for almost everyone.

Head coach Steve Prohm agreed with Bolton’s sentiment, hoping everyone on the team understands that opportunities will be present for the rest of the season. 

Prohm said despite Haliburton’s rise to stardom being relatively short, Prohm knew he had the potential to become the star many NBA scouts project him to be.

“He was a guy I was like, ‘alright man, we’ve lost [Georges] Niang, we lost Naz [Mitrou-Long], we’ve lost some of those guys, but we got one,’” Prohm said. “You could see it when I saw him play in Vegas, ‘like if we get him, we’re gonna have one’ and that’s what I really liked about him, forget the other stuff, he was a great fit, he’s a great fit for this university.”

Haliburton was averaging a team-leading 15.2 points per game, along with a Big 12-leading 6.5 assists per game before his season-ending injury.