Jordan Hawkins Is the Pelicans' Biggest Disappointment Through 10 Games

What happened to Jordan Hawkins?

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There is no shortage of disappointments for the 2-8 New Orleans Pelicans to start the season. The Pelicans are 27th in offense and 29th in defense through ten games and get outscored by 13.4 points per 100 possessions. The injuries are already piling up, the team is giving up on games, and there are very few bright spots not named Derik Queen or Jeremiah Fears.

Among the sea of issues surrounding the team, one player's struggles have gone under the radar. Because he is lower on the totem pole, Jordan Hawkins' horrible start to the season has not received the attention it deserves. Yet, one could easily argue that he has been the most disappointing Pelican on the roster.

When Hawkins first came into the league as the 14th-overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, he had a reputation as an elite shooter and a dynamic scorer. His movement off the ball, versatility in his jump shot, and ability to get his shot off were considered skills that would translate to the NBA right away. Even though he struggled with efficiency in his first two seasons in the league, Hawkins at least showed intriguing flashes.

This season, however, he has been one of the more damaging players in the NBA.

Jordan Hawkins Has Been the Least Efficient Player in the NBA

Hawkins has played 135 total minutes in nine games this season. After being on the fringes of the rotation early on, he has been getting more playing time in recent games. In these minutes, the 23-year-old has 26.1/20.8/71.4 shooting splits. His 34.6% True Shooting makes him the least efficient player in the league by a mile.

For a player whose calling card is his shooting, that is a major problem. It's not like Hawkins is a positive defender. In fact, the Pelicans are 8.4 points per 100 possessions worse with him on the floor defensively than when he is off, per Cleaning the Glass data. He doesn't do much else on offense except coming off screens and taking jumpers. He has five assists and only seven free-throw attempts for the season.

Because of his reputation, Hawkins continues to get guarded out there. This still helps with the Pelicans' spacing, but it's getting harder and harder for Willie Green to keep giving Hawkins minutes.

The former UConn star will almost certainly shoot better going forward, but it's hard to imagine him being an impactful player for the Pelicans any time soon. Considering where he was selected and the number of chances he has gotten, this is a very disappointing outcome for the Pelicans.