PJ Hall is coming off an improbable Elite 8 run by the Clemson Tigers. Now, he can pursue his NBA dreams with a chance to carve out a nice role for himself in the league. Let’s analyze the fit of PJ Hall in the 2024 NBA Draft.
PJ Hall 2024 NBA Draft Profile
College Career
Hall flew under the radar to start his college career but he had quite the impact on the ACC. He is a 2x All-ACC performer and has really dominated for three straight seasons. Brad Brownell will say that PJ Hall really helped put Clemson on the map for basketball.
Hall averaged 18.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists this year with shooting splits of 48.8/31.3/77.9. He was consistently the go-to-guy for Clemson the last two seasons and had some monster performances to show for it, including a 31 point and 17 rebound game against Georgia Tech.
Strengths
Hall is 6’10 235 pounds and built like a truck. At that size, he also possesses guard skills. He is comfortable handling the ball at the top of the key, dribbling into a jumper, posting up, operating as a hub, and more. All of these things make him a tough cover for a less athletic defender. When you can be multiple as a basketball player, you can be special. We are talking about a center with a usage percentage over 30% for three consecutive seasons.
Another underrated aspect of Hall’s game is his toughness. Pretty much every game he ends up cut, bloodied, and on the floor. It was always clear that there was nothing that could keep Hall off the court besides foul trouble. This in turn makes him a solid defender because he is willing to sacrifice his body for any play.
Weaknesses
The first weakness that comes to mind for Hall is his shooting. Now, it is worth noting that Hall shot 37% from three on 6 attempts per game in his junior year. However, that number dropped to 31% on 9 attempts per game in his senior season even though he had a better supporting cast. Hall has an aesthetically pleasing jumper and the mechanics of a solid shooter. If he can consistently knock down jumpers out of pick-and-pop situations or even be a floor spacing four then his draft stock rises significantly.
The other concern for Hall is rebounding. For his size and activity level, Hall should be closer to the eight or nine rebound per game mark. Sure, Clemson was a great defensive team with good rebounding wings. Sure, Hall struggled with foul trouble throughout the year. Regardless, Hall was grabbing 13% of the available rebounds while he was on the floor. That number is much too low for a big and inexcusable for a guy like Hall.
NBA Comparison
Hall does a lot of things well. He is a great athlete and very comfortable in numerous different offensive situations. The comparisons for him are Brandon Clarke or Larry Nance Jr. They all are solid in multiple aspects offensively and are very athletic. They are capable but not great shooters but comfortable ball-handlers as well.
2022 NBA Draft Projection
Mid-second round.
