UConn Basketball: Daniel Hamilton will hire agent to officially declare for the NBA Draft

UConn basketball’s Daniel Hamilton will hire an agent and officially enter the 2016 NBA Draft.

Per Don Amore of the Hartford Courant, Daniel Hamilton’s days in Storrs, CT are over.

It was a fairly shocking move to UConn Country, as many assumed Hamilton was utilizing the new draft rules to see how high his stock was in order to gear up for the 2016-17 season. However, this was not the case, as the 20-year-old told Amore, “I’m not testing the waters. I’m all in.”

Juniors Rodney Purvis and Amida Brimah are also entered the draft but haven’t hired agents. Purvis ranks in the low 200’s and Brimah ranks near 125th on Chad Ford’s big board. With Brimah expected to be a late 2nd round pick following the 2016 college basketball season, it would be very surprising to see either guy enter with Hamilton.

Of all potential UConn draft prospects, Hamilton’s stock was undoubtedly expected to be the highest due to nothing more than his pedigree. His older brothers Isaac and Jordan play for UCLA and the New Orleans Pelicans, respectively.

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Hamilton averaged 12.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game this year as he led the Huskies to an AAC tournament championship and 2nd round exit in the Big Dance. His court vision and ability to drive the lane improved vastly as the year progressed. He also increased his free-throw shooting by almost 20 percentage points from last year.

Most glaring, however, was Hamilton’s inability to improve on his 3-point shot and mid-range game. He only shot 33% from long range, down from 34% last year. When teams were able to clog up the paint with big bodies, his game faltered. This led to a wildly inconsistent season from Hamilton, as he would completely disappear in big games throughout the year.

Unfortunately, officially entering the NBA Draft will likely prove to be a huge mistake for the young prospect. The inconsistency he displayed this year as UConn’s main threat will not go unnoticed by NBA scouts.

As of April 1st, Daniel ranked 131st on Chad Ford’s big board and isn’t projected to be drafted by any of the mainstream mocks.

Most frustrating is that his talent and draft stock could have taken a meteoric rise with one more year of amateur ball.

At 6’7″ and 190 pounds, NBA teams will be very wary in taking a lanky swingman with a mediocre shot. If Hamilton made it a point in the offseason to improve his jumper and range, his offensive game would be nearly complete.

John McIntyre of The Big Lead even listed Hamilton on his list of players that could experience the “Buddy Hield impact.” Hield resisted the urge to enter the 2015 NBA draft, where he was projected to be a late 1st round pick. He improved on his already-solid shot and is now a lock for the lottery and a big pay day.

"“Great athlete, creative scorer, but in the new 3-point happy NBA, why not live in the gym for a year, stay in school for his junior year, and potentially become a star in college and become a Top 10 pick?” – John McIntyre"

According to David Borges of the New Haven register, UConn coach Kevin Ollie also supported the notion that his swingman should stay one more year in college.

Daniel Hamilton: “Coach thought it would be best if I stayed another year, but talked it over with my family. He wished me best of luck."
— David Borges (@DaveBorges) April 5, 2016

It is UConn tradition for coaches to give their blessings to players before they declare for the draft. Caron Butler, another Husky that left after his 2nd year, explained the process in his article for the Players’ Tribune.

He wrote that he listened to Jim Calhoun, who urged him to stay for his sophomore season after a solid freshman campaign. After Butler stayed and won Big East Player of the Year, Calhoun gave him the nod to enter the draft.

It’s an unfortunate end to the career for one of the more promising talents to come through Storrs in a while. It is impossible to know the personal circumstances Hamilton and his family are under, so it would be unfair to judge the 2o-year-old’s decision too harshly.

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I speak for the majority of UConn Country in wishing Hamilton the best of luck in this process. Hopefully an NBA general manager takes a flyer on Hamilton due to his versatility and unmatched family pedigree.