Jordan Hawkins vs Braylon Mullins

[Kitaman]

I'm curious on everyone's thoughts on the trajectory (NBA) of Mullins compared to Hawkins.

Both sharpshootes, both have hops yet Hawkins is struggling to get traction in the pros. How is Mullins situation any different when he appears not pro ready. I understand the point of getting paid millions to learn, but what could Mullins NBA career look like?

 

[GHSWolverines]

IMO if you are not a top 10 pick and you are only a freshman then why go into the draft? In the Nil era you can make money and continue to develop your craft at the college level. Look at Hawkins (14th) and McNeeley (29th) - both first round. There is no doubt Mullins is talented but I feel has much more to prove at the collegiate level

 

[Vuce]

Mullins isn’t ready for the physical level of the NBA so what will happen is he will get drafted in the lottery this year, sit on the bench for a year or two without getting serious minutes,
develop physically and in practice then who knows? McNeeley and Hawk are both averaging a little more than 10 min per game. But Mullins first year will likely be developmental - no idea what happens after that

 

[aceboon]

Mullins isn’t ready for the physical level of the NBA so what will happen is he will get drafted in the lottery this year, sit on the bench for a year or two without getting serious minutes,
develop physically and in practice then who knows? McNeeley and Hawk are both averaging a little more than 10 min per game. But Mullins first year will likely be developmental - no idea what happens after that

Lottery ain't happening in this draft.

 

[WeAreUCONN]

Mullins is slightly better than Mahaney.

 

[Horatio]

He needs Joe Weider products and a smidget of cholesterol, daily.

 

[Palatine]

Hawkins as a sophomore or freshman?

 

[UC0NN]

Hawkins was a very good 3 point shooter as a sophomore, made a lot of big time shots.

Mullins 3 point shot is based off of his high school reputation. In a large sample size he has not been a good 3 point shooter this year. The release is nice yes. But many of his misses are not even close to going in, hes off by a lot.

Based on a small sample size Mullins 2 point shot and midrange game has been quite impressive. His defense has been pretty good.

Hawkins after his sophomore year is a better prospect than Mullins is right now based on on the court production.

 

[Nameless]

Outside of both being skinny and having real ability to catch and shoot, I don't think the two are a great comparison to one another.

Mullins is much better off the bounce and at creating for himself in general. I believe he's also 2 inches taller (6'6 vs 6'4 if I'm not mistaken) and has better instincts defensively. He's just really frail and needs to put on some muscle.

Hawkins has shown flashes I think he just needs to get consistent minutes. Everyone was writing off Jeremy Lamb, then he went to Charlotte, got minutes and had a decent career including a nice contract from the Pacers.

I think Mullins will be fine if he goes after this year, but as others have said the lotto doesn't seem in his cards if he does. Too stacked of a draft class and his performance has slipped as of late. I still think he probably goes after this season, but I'm down to probably an 80% likelihood whereas at the start of the season I thought it was like a 99.9% chance he was gone.

 

[REB1094]

Just some fun stats -

Hawkins went into the tournament averaging 16 points a game shooting 36.8% from three. He then shot 50% from three in the tournament, and had back to back 20+ point games in the sweet 16 and elite 8. Became a lottery pick after that

Braylon is going into the tournament averaging 12 points a game on 34.5% from three

Braylon’s preseason hype and expectations are doing a lot of heavy lifting in his draft stock right now, whereas Hawkins got his by going nuclear in the tournament. Braylon has the same opportunity

 

[FreeKlaiber]

Braylons release, athleticism and underrated court vision is why he is a much better pro prospect. Not ready to get major minutes in NBA next yr, but down the road I think he has muchhh better career than hawkins or liam. He would get snatched up mid-teens if he comes out, just on his upside IMO

 

[Mike Honcho]

Mullin takes a beating in BE play. I would not come back either.

The NBA is not exactly a cakewalk. Obviously they have a ton more resources to invest in a player's development but most NBA teams are not practicing hard in the midst of an 82 game season. You're either developing in game minutes with the 2nd team or you're in the G league.

Agree with you that having both Solo and Mullins on the floor at the same time is hurting our defense.

The reality is that we need Braylon to play to his potential as a hotshot freshman to reach our potential as a team. That hasn't happened since the non-con. Fingers crossed a light switch goes off next week.

One last thing I'll say... Bray has attempted only 27 free throws all season. That's one per game. FTs are a great way for a shooter to get back on track, yet he is loathe to seek contact.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Mullins isn’t ready for the physical level of the NBA so what will happen is he will get drafted in the lottery this year, sit on the bench for a year or two without getting serious minutes,
develop physically and in practice then who knows? McNeeley and Hawk are both averaging a little more than 10 min per game. But Mullins first year will likely be developmental - no idea what happens after that

If you can get an NBA team to invest in your potential, the development in the NBA is far superior to that of even an elite college team. More resources, better coaching, more time to dedicate to development, playing against far better competition. You just have to be a guy that an NBA teams wants to invest in.

 

[businesslawyer]

Just some fun stats -

Hawkins went into the tournament averaging 16 points a game shooting 36.8% from three. He then shot 50% from three in the tournament, and had back to back 20+ point games in the sweet 16 and elite 8. Became a lottery pick after that

Braylon is going into the tournament averaging 12 points a game on 34.5% from three

Braylon’s preseason hype and expectations are doing a lot of heavy lifting in his draft stock right now, whereas Hawkins got his by going nuclear in the tournament. Braylon has the same opportunity

Let’s be honest — McNeeley last year was more impactful for us than Braylon has been, despite not being the same after his injury. But that has very very little to do with what kind of NBA prospect they are. Mullens came here to play one year. He will do what is best for him, but it’s likely he will perceive that as going to the NBA. And, frankly, I’m not sure he would be worth the money it would take to keep him here for another year.

 

[Vuce]

If you can get an NBA team to invest in your potential, the development in the NBA is far superior to that of even an elite college team. More resources, better coaching, more time to dedicate to development, playing against far better competition. You just have to be a guy that an NBA teams wants to invest in.

I agree. That’s what I meant by Mullins getting like 5 to 10 min per game next year in the NBA but largely developing off the court. He won’t see meaningful minutes in games. Whether he becomes a regular a couple years down the road remains to be seen

 

[JustbrewitMan]

We payed a ton of cash to bring in this athletic sharpshooter from Indiana.

He came out of the gate strong and had that great Kansas game, but he really hasn’t progressed in the college game for us.

He’s been a high-volume chucker with “decent” 3pt% and a good mid-range game that he can’t use enough because he has trouble getting by athletic defenders.

He’s clearly a boy amongst men for almost all games we play in the Big East.

He gets tied up and trips over his feet on defense by quick guards at least once every game. He’s an overall defensive net neutral at best on average.

I see him being a late 1st round pick at best, unless he puts up some really insane gaudy stats in the NCAAT.

I’d like to have him back next year if he dramatically improves his strength, lateral movement skills, and defensive skills over the summer/fall.

 

[aceboon]

On NBA player development, that development is happening by getting on the court and playing and I don't see any pathway to Mullins playing real minutes in the NBA next year

 

[Deepster]

I’ll ask this.

If Mullins gets drafted, who’s he covering on the Spurs when they play them?

 

[CTBasketball]

I’ll ask this.

If Mullins gets drafted, who’s he covering on the Spurs when they play them?

He isn’t covering anyone in the NBA because he won’t see the floor.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

On NBA player development, that development is happening by getting on the court and playing and I don't see any pathway to Mullins playing real minutes in the NBA next year

I mean he says there’s no player development if you’re not playing and then literally in the next sentence talks about skills development for guys that aren’t playing, players getting better over the offseason, and shouts out a skills coach.

 

[aceboon]

I mean he says there’s no player development if you’re not playing and then literally in the next sentence talks about skills development for guys that aren’t playing, players getting better over the offseason, and shouts out a skills coach.

Guys work with independent skills coaches and trainers, I think his point is that guys are working on their skills on their own, it's not a specific NBA team thing where they have a development system. Some teams hire them like the Lakers hiring Phil Handy(no longer with the team) or Dallas/Orlando brining in God Shamgod but for the most part guys are working in the offseason with their own trainers.

 

[Dave04]

As a 5-star there must be immense pressure to declare for the draft because that’s usually what 5-stars do. But Mullins disappears offensively for long stretches and struggles to defend against size. That fadeaway jumper he uses to create separation probably won’t work as well against more athletic NBA defenders. Overall I don’t see how his game translates to a meaningful role in the NBA next year but he’ll still go anyway.

 

[REB1094]

Let’s be honest — McNeeley last year was more impactful for us than Braylon has been, despite not being the same after his injury. But that has very very little to do with what kind of NBA prospect they are. Mullens came here to play one year. He will do what is best for him, but it’s likely he will perceive that as going to the NBA. And, frankly, I’m not sure he would be worth the money it would take to keep him here for another year.

Meh, different situations. If Braylon had the keys to the car like Liam did, I’m sure he’d have a much different season. Braylon has to share shots a lot, which is good for the team but I’m sure comes at the expense of his individual stats

 

[Deepster]

He isn’t covering anyone in the NBA because he won’t see the floor.

Then you answered the question. Why go pro then?

 

[navery12]

Still 3 weeks and it's the most important 3 weeks of the season for NBA scouts, but at this point I would say the odds have shifted to 50/50 on him leaving. I think there's a legitimate argument for him coming back now