NBA Draft rumors: R.J. Hunter expected to declare

ByNathaniel Reeves|

Feb 16, 2013; Fairfax, VA, USA; Georgia State Panthers guard R.J. Hunter (22) looks to drive past George Mason Patriots guard Sherrod Wright (10) during the first half at Patriot Center. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia State’s NCAA Tournament hero R.J. Hunter is expected to head to the next level.

Georgia State junior guard R.J. Hunter has decided to enter the 2015 NBA Draft with a former announcement coming soon, according to a report by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

Despite the wishes of Panthers’ coach Ron Hunter, R.J.’s dad and darling of the NCAA Tournament, the junior will be declaring one year early. It must have been a very difficult decision for R.J. to quit playing for his father and there are some things he could improve on, but his stock has never been higher given the season he had.

Hunter averaged and 19.7 points and 4.7 rebounds on 39.5 percent shooting per game, plus over two steals and a block. He scored 12 of Georgia State’s final 13 points in the upset opening round win over Baylor, including the long game-winning three.

While Hunter probably isn’t ready to contribute much his rookie year, there are reasons to believe he could have a future at the next level, at least as a role player.

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Hunter’s jump shot is about as smooth as it gets and he could be argued as the best pure shooter in college this season. As seen in the winner against Baylor, Hunter’s range already extends well beyond the NBA 3-point line, as he has the ability to shoot from anywhere on the court.

Despite his best numbers overall, Hunter’s shooting percentages went down across the board this season, but he reached as high as 44 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from three. Even if Hunter didn’t play much against top-level competition, his jumper should translate well enough to the next level.

It’s body type rather than skill set that might cause teams to shy away from Hunter. At 6-6 190 with a skinny frame, Hunter will need to add some weight and strength to help himself on defense and with creating his own shot off the dribble.

Without some added strength, Hunter is going to struggle at the next level. There are also concerns about Hunter being a volume scorer rather than efficient player, although that could change in a situation where is not the best player on the court at nearly all times.

There’s some competition at the shooting guard position in this draft: D’Angelo Russell and Mario Hezonja are lottery picks, while Devin Booker and Caris LeVert are also likely to come off the board before Hunter. Still, Hunter has enough potential to warrant a late first round selection- the Boston Celtics could be interested with the Los Angeles Clippers’ first round pick in the mid-20s.

With Hunter gone, Georgia State’s chances of a repeat Cinderella run next March are significantly lessened. Ron Hunter will now have to prove he can win without a player of R.J.’s caliber.

The coach had a decent tenure at IUPUI and has been very successful at Georgia State. The Panthers lose another tremendously talented player in Ryan Harrow, but still look like the class of the Sun Belt for now.

Whatever the future holds for both Hunters, Ron and R.J. provided a March moment that will be replayed for years to come.

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