Jordan Hawkins has breakout potential | The Boneyard

Jordan Hawkins has breakout potential

A clear breakout of epic portions is not required although would be accepted no doubt. But he needs to jump a level or 2 in impact on both ends for us to be a player for the top of the Big East. I think he has that in him if he stays healthy, will be fun to watch.
 
hawk GIF
 
Should be able to get to his spots and to the hoop/in traffic with the strength/muscle he's added this off season. Can be more aggressive on O and hold his own on D.. Jumper has always been money.
 
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I think two things have to happen for Hawkins to truly breakout with 15 ppg or more.

1) he has to keep things fairly simple in that he has some very specific moves in which he is confident in and doesn't try to force the action outside his comfort zone.
2) Jackson has to be a threat either from three, driving to the hoop or both.
 
mauconnfan said:
A clear breakout of epic portions is not required although would be accepted no doubt.
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We don't need epic proportions, but a breakout from someone is needed to get us over the hump. Hawkins can be that guy but is he shooting 500 shots a day? I would love for it to be so but I don't see that edge from him that we've seen from others here who ended up being The Guy.
 
Waquoit said:
We don't need epic proportions, but a breakout from someone is needed to get us over the hump. Hawkins can be that guy but is he shooting 500 shots a day? I would love for it to be so but I don't see that edge from him that we've seen from others here who ended up being The Guy.
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Hearing a player talk about 500 shots a day in the gym is like hearing someone tell the popo they only had 2 beers. It's just a standard throwaway number.
 
Chin Diesel said:
Hearing a player talk about 500 shots a day in the gym is like hearing someone tell the popo they only had 2 beers. It's just a standard throwaway number.
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Is he putting the time in, then.
 
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BuffaloHusky said:
I think two things have to happen for Hawkins to truly breakout with 15 ppg or more.

1) he has to keep things fairly simple in that he has some very specific moves in which he is confident in and doesn't try to force the action outside his comfort zone.
2) Jackson has to be a threat either from three, driving to the hoop or both.
Expand ...

I also thought he should work on his handle over the summer. If he adds that, it opens up the court for him on the O side.
 
He will probably be very good. We might want to remember that "break out" isn't anything different than what we all already expected from him. Nationally, not many people have heard of him, so if he's our 2nd leading scorer and somebody teams must focus on, that's breaking out.
 
BuffaloHusky said:
I think two things have to happen for Hawkins to truly breakout with 15 ppg or more.

1) he has to keep things fairly simple in that he has some very specific moves in which he is confident in and doesn't try to force the action outside his comfort zone.
Expand ...
He has at least one move pretty well down, his closeout attack from the left wing, which he uses for either layup, dish, or midrange pull-up. He sometimes pump fakes or jabs hard left then explodes right past the closeout. That's the play he used for that monster yam against Georgetown. Watching TCF's highlight video, you see that specific move pop up a lot. Sometimes it starts with a PG-Adama PnR where Adama's roll sucks his man further into the paint and Hawkins drifts higher up the wing, which forces a hard closeout, which he blows by. Or he sets up on the block and Adama sets a pindown instead of rolling to the basket.

This is one of the better examples:


Adama pindown
UConn Highlights: Jordan Hawkins - Freshman Season (2021-2022)

Also off kickouts
UConn Highlights: Jordan Hawkins - Freshman Season (2021-2022)

Defense in rotation
UConn Highlights: Jordan Hawkins - Freshman Season (2021-2022)
UConn Highlights: Jordan Hawkins - Freshman Season (2021-2022)

In transition.
UConn Highlights: Jordan Hawkins - Freshman Season (2021-2022)
UConn Highlights: Jordan Hawkins - Freshman Season (2021-2022)

This one finishing over future NBA star Jabari Smith is similar, but he dribbles into it instead of being stationary on the wing.
UConn Highlights: Jordan Hawkins - Freshman Season (2021-2022)

Did it from the corner too. This is a good example of his shot fake. He shifts his weight to center and coils like a snake which gets defender to bite on a potential shot before exploding with the first step. Powerful.
UConn Highlights: Jordan Hawkins - Freshman Season (2021-2022)
 
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imo one of the only things missing from Hawkins game is confidence. There were some serious defensive issues last year but he made great progress throughout the year, and judging from off-season info it seems like he bulked up and got stronger. So he’ll only get better defensively, and also will help finishing in the paint.

This is just from what I remember watching the games, but I’d say a good chunk of his misses or frustrating moments were because he rushed into a shot and missed or because he got the ball, panicked, and just gave it away. If he maintains his confidence then I think those problems mostly go away on their own.

(yes I’m a hardcore Hawkins stan)
 
BuffaloHusky said:
I think two things have to happen for Hawkins to truly breakout with 15 ppg or more.

1) he has to keep things fairly simple in that he has some very specific moves in which he is confident in and doesn't try to force the action outside his comfort zone.
2) Jackson has to be a threat either from three, driving to the hoop or both.
Expand ...

These are both great points, especially 1. Rather than worry about expanding his bag, focus on 2 or 3 go to bucket getter moves.
 
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auror said:
He has at least one move pretty well down, his closeout attack from the left wing, which he uses for either layup, dish, or midrange pull-up. He sometimes pump fakes or jabs hard left then explodes right past the closeout. That's the play he used for that monster yam against Georgetown. Watching TCF's highlight video, you see that specific move pop up a lot. Sometimes it starts with a PG-Adama PnR where Adama's roll sucks his man further into the paint and Hawkins drifts higher up the wing, which forces a hard closeout, which he blows by. Or he sets up on the block and Adama sets a pindown instead of rolling to the basket.

This is one of the better examples:


Adama pindown
UConn Highlights: Jordan Hawkins - Freshman Season (2021-2022)

Also off kickouts
UConn Highlights: Jordan Hawkins - Freshman Season (2021-2022)

Defense in rotation
UConn Highlights: Jordan Hawkins - Freshman Season (2021-2022)
UConn Highlights: Jordan Hawkins - Freshman Season (2021-2022)

In transition.
UConn Highlights: Jordan Hawkins - Freshman Season (2021-2022)
UConn Highlights: Jordan Hawkins - Freshman Season (2021-2022)

This one finishing over future NBA star Jabari Smith is similar, but he dribbles into it instead of being stationary on the wing.
UConn Highlights: Jordan Hawkins - Freshman Season (2021-2022)

Did it from the corner too. This is a good example of his shot fake. He shifts his weight to center and coils like a snake which gets defender to bite on a potential shot before exploding with the first step. Powerful.
UConn Highlights: Jordan Hawkins - Freshman Season (2021-2022)
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Great post…this is the kind of content that makes the Boneyard an awesome community. You’re a real one, @auror !
 
Mr. French said:
These are both great points, especially 1. Rather than worry about expanding his bag, focus on 2 or 3 go to bucket getter moves.
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I agree. Lock down a couple of moves then build your game off of those.
 
If Hawk stays healthy and his teammates find him Hawk will soar. He is that good. Believe me.

J Roberts at U Houston is also the real deal. Sampson finds these gems
 
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Stinger92860 said:
I also thought he should work on his handle over the summer. If he adds that, it opens up the court for him on the O side.
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100%. He had terrible handles for a rotation player. Might have been the worst I’ve ever seen. I like the hype but he was unwatchable at times. He needs a BIG jump imo
 
Not sure if posted yet - Article on ESPN+ mentions Hawkins: Take two: These players could have a breakout 2022-23 season

Hawkins entered his freshman season with positive offseason buzz, until multiple injuries led to an uneven campaign in Storrs. When healthy, though, he showed the scoring ability that made him an ESPN 100 recruit. He scored 16 points in 15 minutes in the third game of his college career -- a win over Auburn in the Bahamas. He also had three double-figure scoring games off the bench in Big East play. With some key veterans departing, Hawkins will take on a go-to scoring role for Dan Hurley, so expect a big increase from his 5.8 PPG from last season.

What we're hearing: "He's got some of the best footwork in college basketball. How he comes off screens, the quickness of his release. He doesn't need much room. Just get him the ball and he'll figure it out. I love him. He's [UConn's] best prospect. Last year I think it was a combination of his injuries, Tyrese Martin playing a lot at the 3 and then Andre Jackson emerging. I think he's a fringe first-rounder. I think his ceiling is the second-best NBA prospect in the league behind Cam Whitmore. The way he comes off screens is NBA-caliber. He has elite shot-making and 3-point shooting in his skill set." -- NBA scout
 
Apollo said:
Not sure if posted yet - Article on ESPN+ mentions Hawkins: Take two: These players could have a breakout 2022-23 season

Hawkins entered his freshman season with positive offseason buzz, until multiple injuries led to an uneven campaign in Storrs. When healthy, though, he showed the scoring ability that made him an ESPN 100 recruit. He scored 16 points in 15 minutes in the third game of his college career -- a win over Auburn in the Bahamas. He also had three double-figure scoring games off the bench in Big East play. With some key veterans departing, Hawkins will take on a go-to scoring role for Dan Hurley, so expect a big increase from his 5.8 PPG from last season.

What we're hearing: "He's got some of the best footwork in college basketball. How he comes off screens, the quickness of his release. He doesn't need much room. Just get him the ball and he'll figure it out. I love him. He's [UConn's] best prospect. Last year I think it was a combination of his injuries, Tyrese Martin playing a lot at the 3 and then Andre Jackson emerging. I think he's a fringe first-rounder. I think his ceiling is the second-best NBA prospect in the league behind Cam Whitmore. The way he comes off screens is NBA-caliber. He has elite shot-making and 3-point shooting in his skill set." -- NBA scout
Expand ...
Thanks for article.. Footwork off of screens reminds me of another prolific three-point shooter from UConn who was pretty successful in NBA-- Ray
 
Apollo said:
Not sure if posted yet - Article on ESPN+ mentions Hawkins: Take two: These players could have a breakout 2022-23 season

Hawkins entered his freshman season with positive offseason buzz, until multiple injuries led to an uneven campaign in Storrs. When healthy, though, he showed the scoring ability that made him an ESPN 100 recruit. He scored 16 points in 15 minutes in the third game of his college career -- a win over Auburn in the Bahamas. He also had three double-figure scoring games off the bench in Big East play. With some key veterans departing, Hawkins will take on a go-to scoring role for Dan Hurley, so expect a big increase from his 5.8 PPG from last season.

What we're hearing: "He's got some of the best footwork in college basketball. How he comes off screens, the quickness of his release. He doesn't need much room. Just get him the ball and he'll figure it out. I love him. He's [UConn's] best prospect. Last year I think it was a combination of his injuries, Tyrese Martin playing a lot at the 3 and then Andre Jackson emerging. I think he's a fringe first-rounder. I think his ceiling is the second-best NBA prospect in the league behind Cam Whitmore. The way he comes off screens is NBA-caliber. He has elite shot-making and 3-point shooting in his skill set." -- NBA scout
Expand ...

Umami Zen said:
Thanks for article.. Footwork off of screens reminds me of another prolific three-point shooter from UConn who was pretty successful in NBA-- Ray
Expand ...
I’ve been one his biggest fans, especially since seeing him in the Bahamas. Here’s hoping that his handle has continued to improve. His defense definitely improved last season, and I hope that continues, too.
 
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