The transition between NCAA Division I basketball to the NBA can be quite intense and taxing for most college stars. A lot of supposed up-and-coming talent that came off a national title run ended up overseas or out of the league by the end of their rookie contracts. It is too early to draw any conclusions about Jordan Hawkins because he has only played in the 2023 NBA Summer League. However, a lot of development has to happen for him to immediately impact Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson's New Orleans Pelicans squad.

New Orleans wanted a reliable scoring boost which is why they got Hawkins off fresh off a national championship with the University of Connecticut Huskies. He was an insanely good leader off the court who drove up team chemistry and morale. His on-the-court work was tremendous specifically on the offensive side of the ball. A lot of his upside fell through at Las Vegas but it is nothing that the Pelicans cannot work on.

Pelicans' Jordan Hawkins and his efficiency conundrum

The UConn Huskies saw their guard take a big leap during the 2022-23 national championship run. Jordan Hawkins knocked 40.9% of the shots he took from the three levels of the scoring field. He also added a decent three-pointer which helped him notch a 38.8% field goal percentage from beyond the arc. All of these rewarded him with 16.2 points per game while seeing the court 37 times throughout the season.

College was not as easy for Hawkins as he made that huge leap to sustain his efficiency. He carried that into March Madness and continued to thrive. However, the professional leagues are a different breed. The playing time is longer and the season requires players to travel a lot given the schedule. A lot of fatigue is likely to kick in which is the reason why most rookies are given some slack in their first season. The Pelicans might do the same for  Hawkins but the expectations of being a valuable scoring spark plug remain the same.

The transition to the Pelicans' NBA Summer League

A lot of these rookie concerns are placed in a more controlled environment during the 2023 NBA Summer League. Stars that have just come out of the NBA Draft get to experience the fast pace and physicality of the league without the travel or fatigue. This is where fans see Victor Wembanyama or any big names post up huge stats before they head into their first year. The same cannot be said for Jordan Hawkins.

He attempted 13.75 field goals per game on four outings but only knocked down an average of four. This brought his efficiency to a measly 29.1% field goal percentage. His three-point stroke was also seldom found during the NBA Summer League. He only knocked down 21.4% of his shots from beyond the arc. A lot has gone down for him and would need more than a few tweaks to fix.

Jordan Hawkins' upside for the Pelicans

Shooting the lights out is an expectation for most guards in the modern era of the NBA. However, the league also has a lot of shooting coaches and facilities that may be able to fix the Pelicans rookie's problems. The best part is that Hawkins never gave up on shooting. He continued to believe and attempt shots which is a good sign of willingness to develop. There is nothing that New Orleans has to worry about just yet.