New Orleans Pelicans 2015 NBA Draft Profiles: R.J. Hunter
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.
It’s unlikely that the Pelicans will find themselves in a position to take a first round prospect this year. They’ve traded away their first rounder the last couple years to forego long term development, and instead cash in on Anthony Davis youth to try and win right now. This makes sense from a perspective of trying to keep that window open as long as possible, but it can do damage to a team’s depth. Veterans have to be relied on, and there’s not much room for growth outside of signing better players. It definitely wouldn’t hurt New Orleans if they could trade into the first round and get some youth to maybe extend that window of opportunity. Lets take a look at R.J. Hunter.
The Basics:
Age: 21 (22 on October 24th)
Height (with shoes): 6’6.″
Weight: 185
Wingspan: 6’10.5″
Standing Reach: 8’8″
2014-2015 stats: 19.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.5 APG and 2.1 SPG in 37.1 minutes per game
Draft Projections: Mid-Late First round.
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Strengths:
As a prospect, R.J. Hunter feels like a specialist that teams draft to fill a need, but he shows enough skill in other areas to bring a bit of hope that he can be more than that. For Hunter, that need he fills is going to be 3-point shooting. Despite only shooting 29 percent from 3-point range in college, he showed a range that not many players have. He was known for hitting incredibly difficult shots from deep, he attempted a hefty seven per game from behind the arc, and his 88 percent free throw numbers give hope that he should be able to find some more sustainability on that shot in the pros. He will also gain the benefit of not being the player that defenses key in on every night.
Of course, Hunter would have never become a first round prospect if the one skill he was only bringing one skill to the NBA. Despite mainly being a scorer in college, Hunter showed flashes of a creator thanks to some above average passing skills. If he enters the NBA as an off ball scorer, rather than being a gunner, Hunter is willing to look for the open man. That’s a skill that will fit well into an NBA era that expects the ball to move around
On top of this, Hunter’s physical tools show potential of growth. At the moment, he’s a little small for someone 6-foot-6, but he’ll very likely bulk up once he reaches the NBA. Once Hunter gets a little stronger, he shouldn’t have a problem fighting through screens, and physically should have the skill set to be an average defender, and not get pushed around on offense.
Weaknesses:
However, it’s unlikely that Hunter will become someone that can take the ball into his hands and drive to the basket to get a bucket. His ball handling skills aren’t anything special, and his athleticism doesn’t stand out from the average player. In college, he didn’t show a lot of explosiveness on his way to the rim and he struggled to get around defenders without using his off hand. The better, more athletic, NBA defenses are going to make it much more difficult to get to the rim, and he’s going to struggle finishing there just as much as he did in college. Add on to this Hunter’s tendency to avoid contact while shooting badly near the rim, and there just isn’t a lot of good to this part of his game. A lot of these struggles can be attributed to Hunter’s lack of strength, and that shouldn’t be as much of a problem in the NBA, but he still didn’t show the instincts of a rim attacker in college.
What he did show instincts for in college was steals, where Hunter managed to pilfer two per game. This is usually a very good sign of a player that can defend well at the next level, and translates over. The problem with Hunter is that it just leaves more question marks about him. He played in a zone defense at Georgia State, and this let him take risks on defense and play for the steal. This isn’t to say that Hunter can’t be a good defender in the NBA. He’ll have the tools for it once he puts on muscle, but it’s far from a guarantee that he’ll be an impact player on that end.
Projected role:
Hunter will be long gone before the Pelicans have any chance at taking him, but he might be worth trading into the first round if they were interested in taking him. He’s likely going to become a rotation level 3-point shooter once he reaches the NBA, and the Pelicans certainly need some of that from their bench guards and wings. Hunter could play great off the ball with guys like Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans, etc, but he also has the passing ability to get the ball down low to Anthony Davis if anybody is crazy enough to leave Davis to guard Hunter in the corner.
Hunter’s a nice fit, and he could fill the role that many thought Jimmer Fredette was going to play last season. However, the questions about his defense, and ability outside of being a shooter don’t really make him worth trading into the first round for. If the Pelicans happen to find a deal that gets them into a spot to take Hunter, or trade for him in a deal involving another player, then he wouldn’t be the worst player to add to the roster.
Stats, measturments, and information came from Draft Express