Jordan Hawkins having breakout season by dominating in this area

The New Orleans Pelicans have been suffering through one of the worst season starts of any team in the NBA, of any team in league history for that matter. Through 18 games, they sit at just 4-14, firmly planted at the bottom of the Western Conference after coming into the year with high hopes.

There were plenty of reasons for optimism for New Orleans to start the campaign. They had just traded for All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray in the offseason. Zion Williamson had the healthiest year of his career in 2023-24 and got into great shape over the summer. Young players like Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, and Jordan Hawkins were expected to take a big leap and push the team over the hump with internal development.

It's safe to say that a lot of that positivity has been curbed after this abysmal start fueled by ravaging injuries to their entire core. Even in this season from hell, though, there have been a few bright spots for the Pelicans. Jordan Hawkins was also bitten by the injury bug, going down with back spasms that visibly affected his performance, but before he went out, he was having a breakout sophomore campaign.

Jordan Hawkins might be one of the best midrange shooters in the NBA

Jordan Hawkins showed a lot of flashes in his rookie year after getting drafted at the end of the lottery out of the University of Connecticut. He racked up some of the most explosive scoring performances out of his entire class. While his high points were extremely promising and exciting, there were a lot of lows that kept his future as an NBA player up in the air too.

His defense was extremely suspect at times. He offered practically zero in the playmaking department. His most glaring detraction by far, though, was his inefficiency. It's no secret that the Pelicans drafted Hawkins to give them more perimeter scoring. While he did show capable of being a lethal outside threat, his inability to put the ball in the basket from anywhere inside the arc raised huge red flags.

This season, he's quieted those concerns significantly. In his first seven games of the year — not counting the contest before he went out with back spasms or his first two games back since — Hawkins averaged 17.6 points per game on 43 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent from beyond the arc. Those marks might not seem like anything to write home about at first glance, but compared to his rookie-season percentages of 38 and 37 respectively, it's clear how much better he's been this year.

Hawkins has improved his shot selection, confidence, and accuracy across the board, but there's one clear driving force behind his offensive improvement: his midrange shooting. It seems that he recognized that he would need a way to score when defenses ran him off of the 3-point line while still developing his body to become a good finisher against NBA physicality. He's done so by becoming one of the best midrange shooters in the entire league.

According to shotcreator, Hawkins is hitting 51.9 percent of his attempts from midrange, nearly 12 points better than the league average of 40.6 percent. He's done so on good volume too, hitting 14-27 through eight games. His current percentage has him eighth in the league among players who take at least two midrange jumpers per game, behind only Mikal Bridges, Jalen Williams, Devin Vassell, Paolo Banchero, Zach LaVine, Cam Thomas, and Damian Lillard. Clearly, Jordan Hawkins is in great company.