In this NBA Draft class, there’s a lot of concern surrounding many of the prospects- including those projected to fall into the lottery. When it comes to Texas Longhorns swingman Jordan Hamilton, some scouts and fans are concerned about him about him being dialed-in and “on it” all the time every game. At least on the defensive end.
“I did kind of over-play guys, but I just got to use my length and things like that. Towards the end of the season I played pretty good defense,” Hamilton said at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago.
Some members of the basketball cognoscenti believe he just cruises sometimes, and relies on his pure talent, not hard work to get by.
By Paul M. Banks
“I know some guys beat me off the dribble, but I just continue to use my length,” he said.
And it was at this point in the media session that my favorite Q & A occurred. A hilarious reporter asked Hamilton “on a scale of athleticism where one equals me and 100 equals Lebron James where would you rate yourself?”
“I’m probably like an 85, I can jump and do things like that. But I’ve lost weight since school’s been out and I’ve become really explosive. I’ve been doing yoga and it’s been loosening up my hips.”
That’s right- yoga has been a critical part of his training regimen and a big reason his stock has been increasing lately.
“Once my hips continue to loosen up, most of the time I’ve been doing stretches and I haven’t been having any pain. I’ll be more agile like how I was in high school and once I reach the NBA level, shaking people off screens and I just need to keep it up,” he elaborated.
Hamilton is a natural scorer who is very explosive in the open floor but also possess a tremendous ability to post-up smaller defenders and shoot with a decent range. But he seriously needs to work on his shot selection and get attacking the tin more often, instead of settling for jumpers. He relies on that streaky shot of his too much, and if it’s not falling, he can mentally check out of games.
Hamilton has earned the reputation of being a chucker. But he has a ton of talent and natural ability. He was projected as a two coming out of high school, but is now a three, and we find him very reminiscent of Jason Richardson. The former Michigan State Spartans star left East Lansing after his sophomore year, and is a talented all-around scorer who loves to shoot the three ball just like Hamilton. Hamilton has the potential to be a Richardson-type player who would flourish in a run-and-gun style of offense like Richardson has in both Golden State and Phoenix.
Currently we have Hamilton projected at #14 overall, the last pick in the lottery, to the Houston Rockets in our latest mock draft.
For a full scouting report on Hamilton go here
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports You can follow him on Twitter