Although Hawkins’ playing time was sporadic this season, the glimpses he offered were pretty interesting: he’s an above-average athlete and explosive leaper, has length and a frame that can fill out, and has flashed a diverse offensive skill set that’s still expanding in all facets. He’s not enormous for a wing and needs to keep adding strength—he converted just 37% of his 58 two-point attempts this season and has to finish better—but he’s a capable three-point shooter, and there’s pretty palpable upside here. His dunks and flashes of skill pop on film.
Hawkins was a four-star recruit out of powerhouse DeMatha Catholic, so while he was somewhat under the radar entering college, there’s national pedigree here. UConn will turn over most of its backcourt minutes, leaving plenty of room for Hawkins to inherit responsibility. He will have to be more efficient, it’s unclear if he can make plays for teammates, and there’s polish needed here on all facets. But the presumable spike in volume coupled with his estimable talent as a scorer makes him a person of clear interest moving forward. Hawkins turned 20 shortly after his freshman year ended, so he’s older for his class, but this may just be a case where the lack of major minutes masked what was under the surface. Go back and watch his 16-point effort in 16 minutes against Auburn from November, and you’ll get the picture.
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