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Coleman Hawkins 2025 NBA Draft Profile

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports | By Kaleb Kraus | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 4:53 PM ET

Coleman Hawkins has a great story. He was a player who was ready to take the floor, in whatever position his team needed him to. Sure, transferring from a Big Ten contending Illinois team to Kansas State this past offseason certainly didn’t bear fruit, as the Wildcats struggled. But Hawkins was still a very skilled and mobile player for his size. Despite his average being just around 10 points per game this past season, he played and started all 30 games in the 2024-25 season. Much like he did in the two prior seasons before that. Let’s dig a little deeper into Hawkins’ NBA Draft profile.

Coleman Hawkins 2025 NBA Draft Profile

College Career

Hawkins arrived at Illinois during the 2020-21 season. He wasn’t a starter as a freshman, but did play in 25 games. Hawkins didn’t get to see the floor very much with the likes of Kofi Cockburn and Giorgi Bezhanishvili ahead of him on the depth chart. After learning during his first season, Coleman made the best of things as a sophomore as he moved into the starting lineup for the first 10 games. He boosted his totals to 5.9 points per game and 4.3 rebounds during that season. He was back in the starting lineup for the final four games of the 2021-22 season, as he was about to take a huge step.

Year three in Champign was the time for Hawkins to really showcase his all-around ability. He started all 33 games and started to showcase a strong passing ability for a power forward. He finished that season with 9.9 points per game, along with 6.3 rebounds and three assists per game. That led to a huge 2023-24 season as the Illini were ready to make a huge leap. They did as Hawkins was a key cog in leading Illinois to the Big Ten Tournament Title in 2024. Hawkins was third on the team in scoring at 12.1 points per game, the best of his college career. He finished that season with All-Big Ten honors. He also put his name into the draft following the season, despite hearing positive noise, he entered the transfer portal, returning to school instead.

That led to his less-than-spectacular 2024-25 season with Kansas State. His average was less than his final season in Champaign. He did manage to receive All-Big 12 honors, but he may have killed his NBA Draft potential.

Strengths

Coleman likes to showcase his shooting ability. At his size (6-foot-9), being able to knock down jumpers is certainly something that translates to the NBA. He is a 31 percent three-point shooter for his career while taking an average of 3.1 threes per game. Overall, the shooting volume is certainly there. Outside of his shooting, he can take it in the post and score just as well. He isn’t about to back down in the post against bigger bodies. Hawkins is also a very underrated playmaker. He is especially capable of making good passes when dishing the ball to cutters. Notably, he finished with a career average of 2.5 assists per game.

Hawkins thrives off the ball on defense, which adds to his quality as a pass disruptor. He is also a sneaky defender, likes to pick pockets on the defensive end of the floor. Crucially, he has enough all-around ability to be a solid contributor at the next level. Brings plenty of starting experience. Started 112 of 156 career games.

Weaknesses

Hawkins’ NBA Draft hopes may be limited by his inconsistent ability to make plays in space. While he’s a strong shooter, he can easily stop looking for his shot. Had a knack for being undisciplined in key moments. When Hawkins got frustrated, he would tend to jack shots and not run offense. He’s not a guy you want at the free-throw line. This ability really fell off during the 2024-25 season, when he shot 57 percent from the line, which is a decline from his 66 percent career average. Despite having some clutch characteristics, Hawkins lacks the killer instinct. If he can’t improve his free-throw shooting at the pro level, he won’t last very long. If Hawkins is lucky enough to be drafted, he lacks the speed to be more than a bench player at the NBA level. Hawkins’ lack of quickness and athleticism (29.5-inch vertical) certainly hurt his NBA upside.

NBA Comparison

Hawkins stuck around college to make NIL money, especially when he transferred to Kansas State. It may have hurt any NBA draft potential he had. Having a worse season playing with the Wildcats, after being a key piece at Illinois for most of his career. Coleman does have some strong qualities that can be easily compared to the likes of former NBA players Jordan Nwora and Brian Cook. Like both players, Hawkins brings experience and can be a rangy stretch four player. Nwora bounced around and isn’t currently on an NBA roster, but when he did see time, he was a solid bench piece. If Hawkins goes undrafted, he could easily find his way through the summer league and later the G League.