How Jordan Hawkins Fits with the OKC Thunder

With the Oklahoma City Thunder entering the offseason, it’s officially time to time to switch gears to prospect evaluation mode.

And this year’s impending draft has plenty of players that can help bolster the OKC core.

No matter how unlikely it is Oklahoma City lands certain prospects, the Thunder Fit series will take a look at how they would fit with the current team’s configuration. And with a war chest of assets, you never know how far the front office could move up to acquire a player.

The next prospect up in the series is off-ball aficionado Jordan Hawkins, who was pivotal to the UConn Huskies national title run.

Here’s how Hawkins could fit alongside the rest of the Thunder core:

Offense

Averaging 16.2 points per game en route to a national championship, Hawkins had a solid claim to being college basketball’s best shooter last season, shooting 39 percent from beyond the arc on a whopping 7.6 attempts.

He’s a bit of a one-trick pony as an off-ball movement shooter, but he’s mastered the art of hitting 3-pointers on the fly.

He’s got the full 3-point package at his disposal: side-steps, handoffs, transition buckets. Defenders are going to have to stick to him like glue and it’s going to create a ton of space for his team.

Alongside premier playmakers in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams, Hawkins would be a significant weapon from the outside, without necessarily needing to have the ball in-hands.

His primary issue will be his overall impact. If he can manage to affect the game outside of just scoring, he could be a solid selection.

Defense

At 6-foot-5, Hawkins has solid length, and functioned well as a defender both on and off-ball with the Huskies

He might not be an immediate impact player on that end of the court, but he showed some smothering point-of-attack defense in flashes, and projects to be at least a wash with some decent upside.

Luguentz Dort and Chet Holmgren would likely still be relied on to anchor the defense, but Hawkins would blend in solidly.

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