26. Jaylen Hands, PG, UCLA
The high-flying UCLA point guard will be in charge of following on from the success that the team had last season under the leadership of the now-Los Angeles Laker, Lonzo Ball. Ball completely transformed the prestigious program, but it’s Jaylen Hands’ job to maintain the high level of play. This won’t be easy as Bryce Alford graduated and Isaac Hamilton left for the pros, leaving a lot of empty spots left on the roster. Who will step up for UCLA?
Hands will bring a different type of game to the court to his predecessor but the Hands will definitely maintain the level of excitement. The 6-2 guard’s ability to score is as good as any other incoming freshman, Hands is a walking bucket. Moreover, Hands can score in an abundance of ways; whether that’s splitting the defense and jamming it home, of a mid-range pull-up.
You could argue that Hands is in a similar mold to that of former UCLA guard, Zach LaVine. Hands possesses the same freakish athleticism as LaVine but is still a little raw offensively. When Hands gets to the pros, I don’t think he’ll make an immediate impact — he’ll be more of a project, similarly to Dejounte Murray.
One area where Hands could improve would be his shot selection. He, at times, settles for highly contested mid-range shots when there are other options available. Hands will need to learn how to slow the game down, he doesn’t need to play fifth gear for the whole game. If Hands can prove he can run a college offense at a good enough standard, his draft stock may take a big rise.