Dan Hurley’s Huskies are becoming a problem not just for other college teams, but for the NBA as well. While Hurley and UConn were busy earning the number one spot atop of the AP poll for the first time since March 2009, the Huskies in the pros were getting it done too.
Andre Jackson Jr., one of if not the most vital part of the championship run a season ago, notched his first career double-double with the Milwaukee Bucks, earning high praise from coaches and teammates for his efforts on the court. With the Bucks, Jackson has played in 34 games, starting in seven of those appearances and bringing the energy that Milwaukee needed when they drafted him.
Adama Sanogo, the 2023 tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, put on an impressive yet quick performance for the Bulls earlier this month, scoring eight points along with six rebounds in just nine minutes of play against the 76ers. In the G-League, Sanogo is dominating, averaging 25 PPG and 11.3 rebounds per game.
The lone Husky left from the 2023 national championship is lottery pick Jordan Hawkins. The guard who earned all-tournament team was picked up by the New Orleans Pelicans with the 14th overall pick, hoping he’d bring his offense with him.
At the beginning of the year, the Pelicans were using him pretty consistently, playing over 20 minutes in 18 of his first 27 games. Hawkins was performing too, leading the team in 3-point plays made and filling in the gaps that were left by the injured Pelicans.
Then at the end of December when the team started getting healthy, Hawkins lost minutes. He was sent down to the G-League by the team in a move they labeled would help in his development.
It was a move that was ridiculed not only by UConn fans but Pelicans fans too. But fans wouldn’t have to wait long to see him in the NBA again.
Hawkins only played one game, scoring 32 points in 37 minutes and got recalled just a couple days after being sent down.
The issue with Hawkins is the inconsistent playing time. New Orleans has been struggling with injuries which gave him a lot of chances to play at the beginning of the year. Those players have started to come back, and it’s been keeping Hawkins off the court.
Even since coming back from his short stint in the G-League, Coach Willie Green hasn’t given him much space in the rotation. Hawkins has played in eight games since his promotion back to the NBA. In the four games that he played under 10 minutes, the Pelicans were 2-2. In the four games in which he played over 20 minutes, the Pelicans were 4-0.
This article itself comes off a terrific performance from Hawkins, scoring a career-high against the Dallas Mavericks on the road and leading the team to a win. He scored 34 points and played in 37 minutes, both of which led the team.
While the Pelicans are currently the fifth seed in the Western Conference, one thing stands out to me about them which is where I think Hawkins fits well.
New Orleans has the third lowest 3-point attempts per game as a team and is in the middle of the pack (14th overall) for two-point field goal percentage.
Since his G-League game, Hawkins has shown flashes of being the lights out 3-point threat he was with the Huskies. In just six minutes against the Clippers, Hawkins shot three for three from deep and ended up scoring 13 in a quick run on the court. He made four out of five attempts from three in the Pelicans’ win against the Warriors and six for twelve in his season-high game versus Dallas.
Hawkins literally just makes your team better.
New Orleans is perfectly set up to take on tough offensive teams with a defensive rating of 111.9, best for sixth in the league overall. It’s offense where they struggle.
That’s why Jordan Hawkins should be playing more now, and on the NBA team, not the G-League. He has proven that he can hang with the best of the best and he adds another dimension to your offensive scheme as a threat from deep.
As we saw at UConn, Jordan Hawkins can come in clutch and make the baskets that quiet your opponent. He’s continued to do that at the next level so there is no reason he should be losing playing time when everyone’s healthy. Make him a part of your rotation every game.