Washington State Cougars PF/C Josh Hawkinson may not be a household name yet. But he is worth a Philadelphia 76ers late draft pick to determine if he will be one.
The Washington State Cougars call Pullman, Washington home. It’s also been the home of power forward/center Josh Hawkinson for the past four seasons. You see, Hawkinson is a power forward/center for the Washington State Cougars. Right now, the Philadelphia 76ers are in the market for power forward talent.
Now, most do not consider Washington State University as the Mecca for NBA teams to find professional talent. In fact, Basketball-Reference.com only found 16 such players. But Josh Hawkinson may be a tad different. You see, he’s big, he’s physical, and he can shoot from the perimeter.
Perhaps that is why the Los Angeles Lakers invited him to a pre-draft workout?
Working out for the #LakeShow today, @WSUMensHoops forward Josh Hawkinson pic.twitter.com/4JRcPrVlzm
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) May 23, 2017
The scout narrative on Josh Hawkinson is good and bad.
Scouting report
On the good side, Josh Hawkinson is very efficient. On one hand, he has averaged over 10 rebounds per game in the past three years. On the other hand, Hawkinson shoots over 50 percent from the floor, and has improved his three-point shot to 40.6 percent in his senior year. In summary, he is a blue collar, hard-working power forward, much like current 76ers Dario Saric. And he can score. He has averaged over 15 points a game the past two seasons. That was against blue chip PAC-12 players.
In all honesty, there are few players in this draft which I have seen play live. However, I did witness Josh Hawkinson compete against the Washington Huskies on February 26, 2017. In that game, he stood out as the quality player on the court. He pulled in seven rebounds, shot eight of twelve from the floor, including two of two from three-point range, and was a perfect four for four from the free throw line.
Pro Scout review
Per Jacob Eisenberg of DraftExpress.com:
"Hawkinson “shows glimpses of potential as a floor spacer…. The fact that he converted an impressive 85% of his attempts from the free throw line shows the type of touch Hawkinson possesses, and certainly leaves room for optimism regarding his future development.”"
On the bad side, the young man cannot shake the reputation of not being athletic enough. Some state that he would not be able to compete at the professional level.
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Philadelphia Needs Future Front Court Players
When we ran down the current roster for the next two years, we noted that the team will likely seek veteran help at power forward. While Josh Hawkinson does what many say he shouldn’t be able to, the Sixers would be wise to give him a look.
After all,Hawkinson set a Washington State University record for double doubles at 54. And on top of that fact, perhaps the greatest tribute any college player can receiver, the rival Washington Huskies regretted not recruiting him.
No Regrets
Those who had the opportunity to select Josh Hawkinson in the past focused on the wrong stat, characteristic, or attribute, and turned away. In fact, those same individuals regretted that decision.
Next: 5 reasons Saric Is Valuable But Not Untouchable
In summary, the Philadelphia 76ers have four second round picks, and perhaps more undrafted opportunities. In the end, the future is as much about embracing the unknown as the known. Josh Hawkinson is such an unknown. But that only means he may be the key to the future as well.