3 players whose NBA Draft stock rose in March Madness

These three first-round NBA Draft prospects have all impressed during March Madness and may be moving up draft boards as a result.

Yesterday, we took a look at a few NBA Draft prospects who may have cost themselves with poor showings in the first two rounds of the tournament. Today, we’re looking at a trio who help themselves, not necessarily by expanding their games, but by doubling down on what they do best.

These NBA Draft prospects may have cost themselves in March Madness:

Jordan Hawkins, UConn, Guard

Hawkins was projected as a late first-round pick in our pre-tournament Big Board, with outside shooting and, particularly, the ability to shoot off movement as his most identifiable skill. In two games for the Huskies, he certainly hasn’t put anything new on tape — in 48 minutes he’s gone 0-of-5 from inside the arc and totaled just 4 rebounds and one assist, without a steal or a block.

But what he has reaffirmed is his status as one of the best outside shooters available, hitting 7-of-12 from beyond the arc. At one point in the second half against St. Mary’s, he hit four straight 3s — one in rhythm in transition, another relocating behind an off-ball screen, and two losing his defender and getting just enough space to hit off the dribble.

You have to admit there is some trace of Ray Allen is his movement and the form on his jumper. There is certainly more to his game than just shooting, even if it hasn’t manifested in these two games. But what he has shown as an off-ball threat could be enough to bump him, draft boards, a few notches, especially with other wings in the same range, like Jalen Hood-Schifino, struggling so much in their tournament appearances.

Colby Jones, Wing, Xavier

Jones is a do-everything wing, the kind of versatile, well-rounded role-player who theoretically helps you win games at the next level. So far in the NCAA Tournament, his versatility has been absolutely essential to Xavier’s two wins.

Jones struggled a bit in the surprisingly close opening-round game against Kennesaw State but still came up with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and a 1 steal. He looked a bit more comfortable against Pitt, only scoring 10 points but knocking in a couple of smooth spot-up 3-pointers and chipping in 14 rebounds, 7 assists and a block.

https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/1637491551302750213/video/1

Outside shooting is absolutely his swing skill and seeing him hit a few after a rough first game was encouraging. He shot 38.3 percent from beyond the arc this season but just 30.3 percent across his first two seasons and the fact that he’s a 67.9 career free-throw shooter (whose percentage has dropped every season) leaves lingering questions about his upside there.

Another strong shooting performance against Texas would really help his stock but he’s also showing the ways in which his versatility and ability to do the little things can be valuable.

Jarace Walker, Forward, Houston

Walker certainly could have improved his draft stock more with some explosive scoring performances, especially with leading scorer Marcus Sasser limited to just 14 minutes in Houston’s opener. But he did score 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, alternating between some nifty and powerful finishes. However, he’s still had very little offensive primacy or creation responsibility in Houston’s two wins — keeping with a general theme for this Houston season.

What the tournament has allowed us to see up close is his incredible defensive tools and already advanced skill at that end of the floor.

As Givony pointed out, Walker was an absolute wrecking crew in the second half against Auburn, swarming everything in the paint and showing his ability to switch out onto smaller and faster players.

Walker was already a likely top-10 pick and, again, he could really generate some buzz with a big scoring game. But he’s confirming his reputation as an elite defensive prospect and with other potential top-10 prospects like Cason Wallace, Keyonte George, Nick Smith Jr. and Anthony Black missing opportunities to improve their stock, Walker could certainly move up.

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