UConn star declares for 2023 NBA Draft after winning title

2023 NCAA champ Jordan Hawkins, a sophomore guard for Connecticut, is declaring for the NBA Draft, he informed Malika Andrews of ESPN during Friday’s broadcast of "NBA Today" (h/t Jonathan Givony of ESPN).

Hawkins is projected by ESPN’s big board to be the No. 15 pick in the impending 2023 draft.

“Hearing my name called on draft night will be a blessing,” Hawkins told Andrews, per Givony. “I worked so hard for this, me and my dad, we’ve been through so much.” 

“When I first stepped on campus in Storrs, I was a little kid, just 160 pounds,” Hawkins continued. “I didn’t know the college game. Coach [Dan] Hurley threw me into the fire. He guided me through it. It means the world for me having him, having this opportunity. He told me sophomore year, I need to step my game up, make a name for myself. It’s amazing what we did together as a team.”

The 6-foot-5 swingman was an All-Big East First-Teamer this season. He logged averages of 16.2 PPG with .409/.445/.887 shooting splits. He also chipped in 3.8 RPG, 1.3 APG and 0.7 SPG. During Connecticut’s title game against San Diego State, Hawkins scored 16 points.

As Givony notes, Hawkins is considered an elite shooter and improved as a ballhandler and defender this season, two areas scouts are hoping he continues to improve at the next level. He went 21-of-42 from deep during the Huskies’ six-game tourney run.

“Shooting is my super power,” Hawkins said. “There are a lot of ball-dominant guys in the NBA who can create their own [shot]. I can be a knockdown shooter and play a significant role right away. As time moves on, I can develop and become an even bigger piece of the rotation, because I know I’m more than just a shooter. There’s more to my game, but I have to prove it to people.”