Draft pick dazzles with hot- shooting debut

Golden State’s second- round pick Jessup shows off touch in NBL with Illawarra Hawks

As the Warriors anxiously await the debut of No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman Tuesday night, one of their draft picks has already been putting on a show nearly 8,000 miles away.

Justinian Jessup, who was the Warriors’

second second- round pick last month, has turned heads in his first three professional games with the Illawarra Hawks of Australia’s National Basketball League.

The 6- foot- 7 shooting guard from Boise State has been dazzling during the Hawks’ preseason games while averaging 19.7 points on 49 percent shooting, including 39 percent on 3- pointers.

Jessup’s NBL debut last week was an eye- opening one as he scored a team- high 24 points on 10- of- 19 shooting — including 4- of- 9 on 3- pointers — in a 91- 83 loss to Perth.

The 22- year- old followed that up by scoring 14 points with six rebounds and two steals in the Hawks’ 82- 74 win over Perth two days later.

In Illawara’s last preseason game on Saturday, Jessup again showed a smooth touch — he shot 9- of- 17 from the field, including 3- of- 7 on 3- pointers, scoring a game- high 21 points — while scoring on an array of shots in a loss to Sydney.

Jessup, though, won’t be in a Warriors uniform anytime soon. This past summer he signed a one- year deal with the Hawks, where he wanted to work on his game before launching an NBA career.

By signing a contract before the Nov. 18 draft to play

in Australia, Jessup was an attractive draft- and- stash pick for the Warriors, who were in a roster crunch after already drafting Wiseman and Nico Mannion.

In an interview with reporters last month, Jessup said being drafted by the Warriors while already starting his pro career was a “blessing in disguise.”

“I think it’s a great opportunity to acclimate to the professional level,” Jessup

said. “Just being able to add to my body, work on my game, and just play.”

In college, Jessup was a consistent threat from distance. He made 40.7 percent of his 3- point attempts during his four years at Boise State. A career 83.1 percent freethrow shooter, he also set a school record by shooting 96 percent ( 70- of- 73) on free throws a year ago.

The left- hander was

one of the better shooters available in the draft, but scouts mostly viewed him as an off- ball 3- point shooter whose lack of quickness and athleticism may limit his effectiveness.

Then again, as Miami’s Duncan Robinson showed in the NBA bubble last season, being a good spotup 3- point shooter can be a valuable weapon off the bench.