Expert opinion
NBA scouts weigh in on Hawkins, Sanogo and Jackson
When Jordan Hawkins arrived on campus in the summer of 2021, UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley told him he could be “the next James Bouknight.”
If all goes according to plan, Hawkins’ path to the NBA could look quite similar to Bouknight’s.
Bouknight spent two seasons in Storrs before being selected with the 11th overall pick of the 2021 NBA draft. Hawkins, in the midst of a terrific sophomore season that sees him sitting atop the Big East scoring list in league games, may not be a lottery pick. But it appears the 6-foot-5 guard is line to be a first-round pick in the 2023 draft.
“I’d be shocked if he slipped and didn’t go in the first round,” one NBA scout told Hearst Connecticut Media.
For what they’re worth, the mock drafts have Hawkins as a near-consensus first-round pick. NBAdraft.net has him going No. 21 to the Knicks. NBADraftRoom.com sees him going No. 28 to Utah.
CBSSports.com projects him all the way up to No. 14 to Utah, which would make him a lottery pick. On the flip side, 247Sports.com doesn’t have Hawkins going in the first round.
“I wouldn’t be shocked if he slid into the early second round,” another NBA scout said. “But yeah, he’s pretty locked-in for that middle-of-the-draft area: late-first, early-second, I think. And he’s got a chance to rise, especially if his team makes a deep run.”
No doubt, if Hawkins can help lead UConn to an NCAA Tournament run, his stock will rise. But his stock is already pretty strong.
“We like him a lot,” said an Eastern Conference scout. “We think he’s really talented, has big upside. I think he’s more athletic than people think and stronger than people think. He’s become a really good player.”
That same scout was recently talking to the head coach of a Big East opponent of UConn who went out of his way to praise Hawkins.
“Some head coaches sometimes pump up a kid to the scouts to try to get him out of the league,” the scout noted. “But he knows the kid’s most likely coming out anyway, and he said to me, ‘I think he’s going to be a really good pro’ ... I think he was really genuine. He thinks he has the chance to be a bigtime player.”
In 13 Big East games this season, Hawkins is averaging 17.5 points while shooting 38.3 percent from 3 and 88.9 percent from the foul line.
“The offense has been pretty awesome this year,” a scout noted. “He’s really found his shot. He’s hit