De’Andre Hunter Profile; Kawhi Leonard 2.0
De’Andre Hunter’s NBA Draft profile shows Kawhi Leonard 2.0. He surprised some people by returning to Virginia for his Sophomore season. Although he was projected as a lottery pick last year, he returned to make a run at a national championship and it paid off. Hunter is a lock to go in the top 10 in this years NBA Draft, the question is, how high will he go?
College Career
De’Andre Hunter had a bevy of offers as a top 100 recruit according to 247 sports. Although he had an offer from his hometown school, Villanova, he chose to attend the University of Virginia. It proved to be a smart choice by Hunter. In his two years at Virginia, Hunter averaged 12.4 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game, and shot nearly 42 percent from three-point range. He earned ACC sixth man of the year as a freshman. As a sophomore, he was the conference’s defensive player of the year and was also 1st team All- ACC.
De’Andre Hunter Profile; Positives
De’Andre Hunter is a freak athlete with excellent size for an NBA wing. While he has shown he can hit a spot up three at an above average clip, or take a smaller wing down on the low block and get a bucket, Hunter’s best trait is his defense. Whichever NBA team drafts Hunter, will be able to put him on the opposing team’s best perimeter player and not have to worry about him. His exceptional length and athleticism, combined with his defensive positioning and footwork, gives him the potential to be the NBA defensive player of the year. Hunter, at the very least, will make multiple All-NBA Defensive teams. This is also a very mature kid who is not going to give you headaches off the court.
De’Andre Hunter Profile; Question Marks
While there are no question marks on his defensive ability, Hunter needs some improvement on the offensive end. He has shown the ability to knock down a spot-up three, or score from the block. The problem with his game on the offensive end is his shot creation and distributing. He was not asked to be the primary play-maker at Virginia, so it could be that he’s just never been asked to do that. Hunter should show teams in private workouts that he has the ability to make plays for himself.
Player Comparison
De’Andre Hunter is a near mirror image, coming out of college, as Kawhi Leonard. Hunter has great size and length and can put opposing offensive players in handcuffs. The Kawhi Leonard that you see today, isn’t the out of the box Kawhi Leonard. He has improved tremendously on the offensive side, and Hunter will have to do the same. Hunter has all of the tools to be Leonard, it will be up to him to reach that potential.
Draft Projection
Top 10 Pick
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