Memphis Grizzlies: 5 NBA Draft Prospects To Watch During The NCAA Tournament
By Chris Kern
De’Andre Hunter
De’Andre Hunter is thought of as a top prospect, but he still doesn’t get talked about as he should. In recent mock drafts from 8points9seconds and CBSsports, they both had Hunter going 7th overall to the Atlanta Hawks.
Hunter is so instrumental to the top-seeded Virginia Cavaliers. He flew under the radar last season but when he got injured last season and missed the NCAA Tournament they became the first one seed to lose to a 16 seed when they lost to UMBC 54-74. It’s not just that they lost, it’s the fact that they got absolutely embarrassed.
He has improved his game in nearly every area from his freshman season. His shooting percentages are better overall, from three-point range, and from the free-throw line. He is playing more minutes which leads to his points, rebounds, and assists being higher but to improve his efficiency in doing so is very impressive.
Related Story. De’Andre Hunter Should Be A Top Target In The 2019 Draft. light
When you draft someone at the top of the lottery that isn’t a prospect with elite potential you want a guy who has shown he can improve his game and that’s exactly what Hunter has done. If he can continue to improve after he makes the jump to the NBA, then he certainly is capable of becoming a future all-star.
So far this season in 33 games he is averaging, 15.1 points, 5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. He also is a great defender despite not having many steals or blocks. The Virginia defense isn’t one that necessarily takes a lot of chances but they do defend at a truly elite level.
We talked about his improvements in shooting percentage but it’s not like he was bad before. He made the jump from good to a great shooter. His overall field goal percentage is 53% while he also knocks down 46% of his three-pointers.
Very few players in this draft class can impact the game on both ends as he can. He isn’t elite in one area, but he can impact the game in any way you need him to. He does have some areas he needs to improve him for him to become a truly elite prospect and if he wants to become an all-star at the next level.
Being able to be consistent is good but you need to be able to take over games yourself if need be and currently I don’t see Hunter as someone who can do that. If he can improve his ballhandling and become a guy who can create his own shot then his ceiling becomes much higher than it currently is.
People already know how good he is on both ends of the floor. He is on a team where he is the third offensive option which doesn’t give him the chance to always shine. If he can show the ability to dominate games on the offensive end, then he has a chance to be a top-five pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.