NCAA Basketball: Midseason scouting notes and takeaways on 2023 NBA Draft prospects

Jordan Hawkins – Uconn  – 6’5, 185 lbs – April 2002

I liked Hawkins in Portland but found him to be a bit one-dimensional, as strictly a scorer and not much else. I think that eval holds true even after Tuesday, but I put a little more stock into his bucket-getting prowess. Hawkins is probably closer to 6’4 than 6’5, and he is definitely frail throughout his body. He doesn’t have the best base for weight gain. But gosh, he shoots such a clean ball in warm-ups, it’s surprising when he misses.

Hawkins scored at a high clip in Chicago, showing he is a little more than a shooter. He attacked closeouts well and showed some finishing ability. In one play he hung in the air, absorbed a hit from a defender, and finished at the rim. Another time, he maneuvered his body mid-air for a finish. He also drew some fouls on drives and looked comfortable attacking closeouts.

Hawkins had one nice lay-down pass on a drive, but is still predominantly “score-first”. He isn’t a great defender at this stage, oftentimes looking uninterested on that end. Hawkins is a good vertical athlete, but he will have to tighten up on that end to avoid getting picked on in big games.

Hawkins showed more ability to get to the rim and finish than I remember and I love his shot mechanics. I would like him to be bigger and improve his ancillary skills, but he can fit easily next to a primary handler and space the floor and is someone I would target in the 20’s to the early second round.