If the New Orleans Pelicans hope to recover from a disastrous 2024-25 season, third-year swingman Jordan Hawkins will need to take a significant step forward. Hawkins represents an invaluable opportunity to create depth along the perimeter, but past inconsistency has tempered expectations.
With whispers of Hawkins being a bust growing louder by the season, he needs to prove in year three that he can be a key rotational piece for head coach Willie Green.
Hawkins, 23, was selected by the Pelicans at No. 14 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft. It was seemingly a high-value pick after he'd helped the Connecticut Huskies win the 2023 NCAA championship, earning first-team All-Big East honors along the way.
Unfortunately, Hawkins' 38.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc as a sophomore at UConn hasn't quite translated to the NBA.
Hawkins shot 36.6 percent from beyond the arc as a rookie, but converted just 38.2 percent of his field goal attempts. A year later, Hawkins increased his scoring average from 7.8 to 10.8 points per game, but shot a mere 37.2 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from distance.
There's more to the game than shooting percentages, of course, but they're indicative of the struggles that Hawkins must resolve if he's to help New Orleans realize its potential.
Pelicans need Jordan Hawkins to erase concerns over inefficiency
Hawkins is the prototypical college scorer who has found himself in an NBA role as a shooter. There's a thick line between those who thrive with volume and the players who can pick their spots, and Hawkins has inevitably encountered early growing pains in his attempts to bridge the gap.
For a Pelicans team that's flush with shot creators already, Hawkins' best opportunity to solidify his place in the rotation will be improving the efficiency with which he spaces the floor.
New Orleans' offense is likely to run through franchise cornerstones Trey Murphy III and Zion Williamson. Murphy, 25, is coming off of a season in which he averaged 21.2 points per game on .454/.361/.887 shooting, and Williamson is a two-time All-Star who has averaged as many as 27.0 points per contest.
The door is open for Hawkins to emerge as the Pelicans' third option on offense given the erratic play that Jordan Poole is aiming to address, but efficient off-ball play will be essential to his progress.
Third options may receive significant shot attempts, but their primary function is to support a team's top two scoring threats. They'll often lead the offense when the top two players are off the court, with off-ball opportunities coming their way to keep them in rhythm beforehand.
Once they prove capable of complementing the featured scorers, the third option's shot attempts tend to increase—meaning Hawkins needs to first excel in a supporting role if he's hoping for more.
Thankfully, there's reason to believe that Hawkins can succeed in this capacity. He shot 38.8 percent on catch-and-shoot threes as a rookie and remained close enough to efficient in 2024-25 at 34.6 percent to believe he can turn things around.
If Hawkins lives up to his potential and excels as a floor-spacing wing, then the Pelicans will find it significantly easier to utilize him in other roles in 2025-26. If he struggles to, however, minutes may be tough to come by.