Jordan Hawkins, 6-5 sophomore guard, UConn. “Best shooter in the draft. To me, he’s like Devin Booker. Devin wasn’t that well thought of coming out of college. Has the ability to catch and shoot, or score off one or two bounces. He has a quick release. He has some talent defensively, but he has to get stronger, and you wonder how much he will buy into that. Physical play does bother him. You worry about him getting pushed around. You hope in time he can become a pretty good defender. He has to at least not be a net negative on defense.”
Adama Sanogo, 6–9 junior center, UConn. “I just don’t see him making it. He’s a dinosaur. He’s not a rim protector, not a switchable defender. Great kid, but there may not be a place for him in today’s NBA. He’s going to struggle guarding stretch fives and stretch fours. Sometimes you just run out of talent. Can he make it as a center in this league at his size?”
Andre Jackson, 6-6 junior forward, UConn. “If he could shoot at all he’d be a lottery pick. Competitive locker room leader. Mr. Utility Guy. He can do all the Draymond Green stuff. He won’t fit in everywhere. He came to Chicago for the combine and it looked like he was trying to change his shot from what he did during the season. It was awkward. His shot’s gotta be torn down and rebuilt. He has elite athleticism and the ability to make plays, but he has to be in the right situation.”
Keep in mind, as you already alluded to, if you are taking a two point middy often that's because the shot you wanted, or a path to the hoop wasn't available to you. In essence the mid range jumper was your bailout shot. I think that was mostly the case for Hawkins. He wasn't taking those at the the foul line as part of a predetermined set.He shot 29.2% on 2 point jumpers as a freshman and 31.0% as a sophomore, so he really struggled with those shots both years
It was the last piece of the puzzle for Kemba. Picked it up on the summer before his final year (junior).That's at a macro level, you can't have a team building their offense around mid-range shots because it's inefficient. That doesn't mean players don't need to have the ability to knock down the occasional mid-range shot when the defense closes out on a shooter.
Hawkins (or any player) is never going to take the majority of his shots from the mid-range. He's not going to go undrafted or be out of the league in 2 years if he doesn't develop a mid-range game. It's just the little boost that pushes him from being a 10+ year role player as a 3+D guy like Duncan Robinson or Joe Harris, to a piece you hope develops into a reliable starter and is a well-rounded player
I agree that buy-in shouldn’t be an issue with him. There’s never been any indication he wasn’t working, and we saw his improvement on both ends of the floor all year. The legitimate concern (Vecenie elaborated for The Athletic) is how much stronger can he get with his frame without sacrificing quickness and athleticism? That’s even more important than improving his shot-creation and ability to finish, because he needs to defend well enough to stay on the floor come playoff time. His shot-making will play from day one.I didn't like this comment about Hawk: "He has some talent defensively, but he has to get stronger, and you wonder how much he will buy into that." Why does one have to wonder about buy-in from him? One of the myriad of reasons UConn was so good this year is that our "star" worked as hard as anyone else on defense. Why wouldn't that continue?
The scouts had those same exact concerns with Rip. How'd that work out?I agree that buy-in shouldn’t be an issue with him. There’s never been any indication he wasn’t working, and we saw his improvement on both ends of the floor all year. The legitimate concern (Vecenie elaborated for The Athletic) is how much stronger can he get with his frame without sacrificing quickness and athleticism? That’s even more important than improving his shot-creation and ability to finish, because he needs to defend well enough to stay on the floor come playoff time. His shot-making will play from day one.
I’m not saying he won’t be a solid enough defender, just that his strength is more of an issue than his buy-in or work ethic. I think Hawkins will have an excellent NBA career. I can’t assume he’ll be a borderline-HOF like Rip. I can certainly hope so.The scouts had those same exact concerns with Rip. How'd that work out?
Mock drafts from what I could find...
Jordan:
Yahoo - 17
Draftnet -17
SBNation - 21
Ringer - 21
Bleacher Report - 16
ESPN - 14
Athletic - 16
Andre:
Yahoo - 38
Draftnet - 32
Ringer - 35
Bleacher Report - 35
ESPN - 33
Athletic - 28
Adama:
Yahoo - 52
Draftnet - 49
Ringer - 44
ESPN - 57
Crazy how Andre's stock has risen. So excited for him.Mock drafts from what I could find...
Jordan:
Yahoo - 17
Draftnet -17
SBNation - 21
Ringer - 21
Bleacher Report - 16
ESPN - 14
Athletic - 16
Andre:
Yahoo - 38
Draftnet - 32
Ringer - 35
Bleacher Report - 35
ESPN - 33
Athletic - 28
Adama:
Yahoo - 52
Draftnet - 49
Ringer - 44
ESPN - 57
I agree, these scouts are off the mark. To not have an understanding about what great quick feet Adama has is unbelievable. And since when has winning games gone out of style?This is a weird take on Sanogo. He's not a Dinosaur, if anything Clingan is more of a Dinosaur style big. He's not a 5, he's a 4 that is strong enough to guard small ball 5s. I think there will be teams that see it and teams that don't. Same with Andre.
@ Tomight’s Coaches Road Show:
(No. 15) G Jordan Hawkins, UConn
Profile | 6-5, 170 pounds | April 2002
2022-23 stats: 37 games, 16.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, 40.9% FG, 38.8% 3P
A Big East coach: “Make him make twos. Can’t relax for a second when he is on the floor. Maybe is the best I’ve ever seen at stopping and starting. He is running full speed off a variety of screens and ranges to get his shot. Incredible! He got better with the ball in his hands in not catch-and-shoot situations.”
A Big East coach: “He is extremely deadly without needing the ball. Almost Klay Thompson-like. Running off screens, shooting behind a ball screen, or a handoff, he’s the best. He competes on the defensive end as well. Taller and longer than the eye test makes you think.”
This feels about right. Lottery is probably a bit high for Hawkins, but not far after that.Mock drafts from what I could find...
Jordan:
Yahoo - 17
Draftnet -17
SBNation - 21
Ringer - 21
Bleacher Report - 16
ESPN - 14
Athletic - 16
Andre:
Yahoo - 38
Draftnet - 32
Ringer - 35
Bleacher Report - 35
ESPN - 33
Athletic - 28
Adama:
Yahoo - 52
Draftnet - 49
Ringer - 44
ESPN - 57