HARTFORD, Conn. — UConn fans who saw Jordan Hawkins play this season know that he’s got what it takes to be very good at the next level.
Hawkins was arguably the best player on the team that just finished turning the NCAA Tournament into the UConn Invitational, and he proved his worth by putting up 16.3 points on 43.5% shooting during the Huskies’ run, and scorching the nets for 50% shooting from 3-point range.
It should be clear to anyone who watched him that he’s going to excel in the NBA, which values the 3-point shot and the ability to get open to take 3-pointers — Hawkins’ game — more than any other skill.
Run him off some screens, get him open looks, and he’ll knock shots down, right?
He’s got the requisite size (6-5), body type, quickness, athleticism, defensive ability to be a plug-and-play, surefire NBA guard, right?
Then why is Hawkins ranked so low on some NBA mock draft boards?
NBADraft.net has the now-former UConn star coming in at No. 19 to Golden State (which admittedly would be very interesting), Bleacher Report has Hawkins at No. 17, and USA Today has him at No. 24. ESPN had him at No. 23 in their latest version.
NBC Sports Washington doesn’t even have him in the first round in their mock draft, which to be fair, says more about their mock draft than it does about Hawkins.
For a player whose game screams “NBA,” and for someone who was the go-to scorer on one of the most dominant tournament teams in recent memory, it doesn’t seem to make much sense that Hawkins is being rated as a late first-round pick.
Take a look at some of the players projected to go ahead of him — Arkansas’ Anthony Black and Nick Smith (we’re sorry, what happened when UConn played Arkansas in the Sweet 16?), Kentucky’s Cason Wallace, Villanova’s Cam Whitmore — and it makes even less sense.
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman describes Hawkins’ draft prospects this way:
“Teams have to ask about the upside of a 6’5″ non-creator, passer or defensive playmaker, but at the least, he should serve as a plug-and-play shooter with his shooting versatility.”
ClutchPoints.com’s Jack Tien-Dana calls Hawkins “an absolutely bonkers off-ball mover and shooter,” but points out that he “never seemed wholly comfortable creating off the dribble or scoring inside.”
“In the NBA, that won’t necessarily be a problem — Hawkins will fill a very specific role (shooter) and will rarely have to deviate beyond his expected responsibilities (shooting). Still, relying on a guy like Hawkins is inherently a little risky — since he doesn’t offer much value besides his shooting, he needs to be one of the very best shooters in the entire world to justify his lofty position in our 2023 NBA mock draft.”
That scouting report may be tough to hear for Huskies fans, but it’s worth pointing out that the 20-year-old Hawkins will have plenty of time to work on his weaknesses once he lands on an NBA roster.
As a freshman last season, he averaged just 5.8 points in 14 minutes per game and shot 33% from 3. This year, those numbers improved to 16.2 points and 38.2% shooting from deep.
Hawkins will also have a chance to improve his draft stock at the NBA combine, which begins May 16. The NBA draft will take place June 22.
