MD-native Jordan Hawkins among NBA Draft's best 3-point shooters
MD-native Hawkins among NBA Draft's best shooters originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
CHICAGO -- The Wizards need 3-point shooting and one of the 2023 NBA Draft's best outside shooters hails from their own backyard.
Jordan Hawkins, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard who starred for the national champion UConn Huskies, grew up in nearby Gaithersburg, MD. He attended Gaithersburg High School and then DeMatha Catholic before playing two years in college.
Hawkins has emerged as a likely first-round pick after making 38.8% of his threes last season on 7.6 attempts per game. NBC Sports Washington's mock draft projects Hawkins to go 17th overall. While that isn't in the Wizards' range with the eighth pick, there is no denying he would fill a need for Washington who ranked 21st in 3-pointers made last season.
Perhaps then it is no surprise Hawkins met with the Wizards at the draft combine in Chicago.
"It would be crazy. Capital One is not that far from the house, so my parents would probably come to every home game," Hawkins said.
Hawkins remembers going to around five Wizards games as a kid growing up in Maryland. He recalls seeing Gilbert Arenas play when he was in elementary school.
Hawkins would later play at Capital One Arena as a high school star and then in college when his Huskies played Georgetown on the road. This fall he will be playing there again, either with or against the Wizards as an NBA player.
"If my family gets to see me wear an NBA jersey and play on ESPN or NBATV, it don’t matter [where I get picked]. It's great," he said.
Hawkins was a lethal shooter in college. He averaged 16.2 points and 3.8 rebounds for the season overall. During UConn's NCAA Tournament run, Hawkins scored in double figures and made multiple threes in each of their six games.
Hawkins says he studies other Connecticut stars of the past as he aims to expand his game, guys like Ray Allen and Richard Hamilton. He also watches film of Klay Thompson, Tyler Herro and Max Strus.
Like all of those players, Hawkins can light it up from long range. Now he's trying to prove to NBA teams he can score and impact the game in other ways.
"Shooting off-the-dribble, I didn’t really have to show it at UConn because I had great players that could just find me. I could be on the move and just find my shot," he said.
Hawkins started to believe playing in the NBA was possible after a game in his sophomore year of high school when he recalls scoring 20-plus consecutive points for his team.
Pretty soon that dream will be realized and he will be back playing at Capital One Arena. Whether it's for the home team is the question.
