Jordan Hawkins Provides Sharpshooting Option for OKC in Draft

Jordan Hawkins draft stock skyrocketed during UCONN’s magical National Championship run this past March.

After leading the Huskies to an unlikely title run, Hawkins declared for the NBA draft and has quickly seen his name in the back end of the lottery as one of the top guards in the draft. In some recent mock drafts Hawkins is projected to be drafted at the No. 13 pick, a selection after the Thunder’s projected 12th pick. He will likely be on the board at the OKC pick, unless he continues to build more momentum in the pre-draft process.

Hawkins is a 6-foot-5, 195 pound shooting guard who played two collegiate seasons seeing improvement during his time at UCONN. He played his best basketball at the most crucial points of the season and continued to build his resume as a sharpshooter.

He will provide whichever team that drafts him with a more than capable long range threat. He shot nearly 40% this season from 3-point range. Hawkins massively improved his 3-point shooting from his freshman season to his sophomore year after posting a 33% mark his first year in college. The sophomore used his 3-point success to average 16.2 points per game this season.

Hawkins is a great spot up scorer and could use that to his advantage at the next level as a player who can score in multiple different ways at all levels. His 6-5 frame allows him to be quick on his feet, but he can still get to the rim and compete with bigger bodies.

As a player who does primarily handle the ball his ability to move and cut without the ball and impact plays in other ways on top of his scoring ability makes him an intriguing prospect to watch in this year’s draft.

For Oklahoma City, Hawkins would make a good bench addition to continue improving the team’s threat from beyond the arc as well as get more depth at the two spots in the lineup. Though it is not a glaring need for the team and is far from the most pressing need, drafting a guard like Hawkins wouldn’t be a bad move from the Thunder as 3-point shooting is vital to success in the NBA.

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