It is that time of year again. With the NBA Draft just a few weeks away it is time to start looking at players that the New Orleans Pelicans can potentially draft. While most of the players that we profile will be second round players since the Pelicans currently only have a second round pick, there will also be a few first round talents mixed in with the bunch as well. Considering the Pelicans are pretty set in the backcourt and at power forward the profiles will focus on wing players that fit into a small forward role and backup big men, places the Pelicans can stand to get a bit better.
With the uncertainty at the wing position for the New Orleans Pelicans after this upcoming season, there’s a chance the Pelicans take a serious look at improving the depth at the wing going into the long term future. A guy such as Darrus Hilliard from Villanova could become a project New Orleans looks to develop long term into a solid bench player for the team down the road. With such a late pick in the draft, it is difficult to find guys with the skills to make it in the league. A guy who helped lead his team to a #1 seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament could be a decent gamble to take with their pick.
The Basics:
Age: 22
Height (with shoes): 6’6.5″
Weight: 220
Wingspan: 6’9″
Standing Reach: 8’7.5″
2014-2015 stats: 14.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.1 APG and 1.8 SPG in 28.8 MPG at Villanova
Draft Projections: Late Second round.
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Strengths:
Darrus Hilliard was one of the key contributors to Villanova’s NCAA Tournament team last season. His size is a solid positive, as his 6’6″ height can easily play both the shooting guard and small forward positions. The big strong area last year for Hilliard was his outside shooting, where he shot over 38% in his senior season at Villanova, following his 41% from behind the arc in his junior year. Hilliard has shown in his four years at ‘Nova his strong fundamentals to attack defenses and force them into bad rotations, giving his teammates open looks around the floor.
On defense, Hilliard has the discipline and versatility to develop into a solid defensive wing in the NBA. In almost every Villanova game, Hilliard was asked to guard the best backcourt player on the opposing roster. While his physicality isn’t the most imposing, his defensive footwork and posture help him get into passing lanes and defend imposing guards efficiently. Has a lot of the key qualities to be a solid NBA role player.
Weaknesses:
While Hilliard is a solid shooter, his shot creation game needs a lot of work. It gets worrisome when you look at his percentage on two-point attempts, which finished at 50% last year. He doesn’t have much explosiveness to get to the hole when need-be. He also needs to work on not being a one-dimensional offensive player. While his shooting range is solid, he needs to find ways to attack the basket and be efficient at the hole if he wants to make any kind of contribution at the NBA level. Can be known as a “streaky shooter” in certain situations and found struggles to get out of cold streaks shooting the ball.
While Hilliard played fantastic in the system Villanova coach Jay Wright ran, he struggled to stand out in any way. He doesn’t impress a ton with his offensive game and while his size could keep up with wings in the NBA, his lack of speed could provide problems going against certain guards in the NBA. Could have teams worrying he can’t produce what he did in college in the same way as the professional level. Will probably have to continue to develop before he can be brought into an NBA roster.
Projected Role:
The best way to describe Hilliard is a “Work In Progress”. He has the fundamentals and smarts to be a solid NBA player, but really needs to work on adjusting his game to the level of play in the NBA. Needs to find ways to improve his ability to score the ball and be a threat on the floor. Could develop to be a “3-and-D” player in the league, yet will probably need a decent amount of time in the D-League or overseas to develop his game further. Depending on what team drafts him, could play either the SG or SF role in the league.
For the New Orleans Pelicans, Hilliard would be a long-term replacement to guys such as Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans when their contracts expire. Could give the Pelicans another long-range threat who can stay in front of strong wing players when he fully develops. Could be a D-League project similar to what Russ Smith was for New Orleans before they traded him. Would probably not see consistent time on the roster for the first few years. However, there’s a possibility he could prove to be a guy the Pelicans turn into a solid role player on the team in the long term future as a long-range threat and strong defender.
Stats, measturments, and information came from Draft Express