Jordan Hawkins had one of the most intriguing seasons out of any rookie from the 2023-24 NBA season. Coming from an absolutely stacked draft class, Hawkins, the 14th overall selection by the New Orleans Pelicans, had some of the most impressive individual scoring performances out of all the freshmen last year.
He finished with two of the 20 highest point totals in a single game out of all rookies: his 31 at the Denver Nuggets in early November and the 34-piece he dropped on the Dallas Mavericks in January. Despite his obvious offensive promise and his small collection of scoring outbursts — five games with over 20 points — Hawkins averaged just 7.8 points in his first year. That paltry number was a result of two things: his inconsistency and the resulting lack of minutes.
This upcoming season, Hawkins will have an opportunity to earn a feature role with the Pelicans, as they're severely lacking depth despite their top-end talent and championship aspirations. We've outlined two goals that Hawkins will have to hit next year to insert himself into the Most Improve Player conversation. But before he can even start thinking about awards, he has to earn more minutes from Head Coach Willie Green, and, in order to do that, he'll have to significantly improve his game in one specific area.
Jordan Hawkins has to improve as a finisher to see the floor consistently next season
Just one year into his career, Jordan Hawkins has earned certification as a bona fide bucket. He already has an advanced scoring skillset, highlighted by a silky smooth jump shot that allows him to pour in points from all over the court. Two of the most promising parts of his game are his ability to shoot off movement and his blinders against would-be contestants.
As a rookie, he proved that he could connect from deep off of a variety of off-ball actions like hand-offs, coming off of screens, and v-cuts. He was able to consistently free himself for good looks, as he was comfortable catching and launching off several different angles and didn't need a lot of time to get into his shot base. Even when the opposing defense was ready to contest, Hawkins could get his shot off so quickly that it wouldn't matter. And he seemed completely unbothered by weak and late closeouts.
Jordan Hawkins 34 points at Dallas 🔥 pic.twitter.com/g6dz8rCsBF
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) January 14, 2024
He also showcased a deadly midrange pull-up that he could get into at will. While it's still not a great shot — midrange attempts rarely are analytically — having that in his back pocket makes him a much more lethal scorer and significantly raises his ceiling as an offensive option.
At 6'6" in shoes with a plus wingspan, Hawkins has the size and athleticism necessary to be an effective threat at the rim. He's also shown a good touch when attacking the paint. Unfortunately, though, Hawkins was a much better slasher in theory than he was in reality last season.
As a rookie, he averaged just 1.8 drives per game, resulting in 1.0 FGA on a putrid 37 percent shooting. In summary, he rarely ever got to the paint as a ball-handler, and, when he did get there, was one of the worst finishers in the entire league. There are a few different reasons for this, but, mainly, Hawkins needs to tighten his handle and add strength as a driver.
It was clear watching him last season that he didn't have confidence attacking the rim due to his shaky dribbling and lack of physicality. Thankfully, this is something that can be improved over time. Even if never becomes an elite source of rim pressure, upgrading his driving game will significantly raise his ceiling and make it much harder for Head Coach Willie Green to keep him off of the floor.
Getting to the rim and finishing at even a league-average rate should notably improve his 38 percent field-goal mark from last season. It'll also allow him to attack closeouts, draw multiple defenders, and make opponents second guess what he wants to do with the ball, freeing him up for more jumpers in the end.