VITALS: 7-0, 230, Washington OVERVIEW: Opted to leave Washington after a freshman season in which he led the team in scoring with 14.9 points and finished second with 6.4 rebounds. Also ranked fourth in the Pac-10 Conference in field goal percentage (.532) and third in blocked shots (54). Set school record for most points scored by a freshman with 461. Named to the conference's Freshman Team and was an honorable mention for All-Pac-10. Scored a career-high 24 points in a double-overtime loss at Southern California. Father, Jeff, and uncle, Steve, both played for Washington. Uncle also played for five NBA teams over 10 seasons. LIKELY DRAFT POSITION: 8-16. COMPARATIVE UPSIDE: Eddy Curry COMPARATIVE DOWNSIDE: Joel Przybilla ROLE PROJECTION: Offensive-minded center. May not be immediately in the rotation but eventually will work his way in. POSITIVES: Hawes is one of the few scoring centers to come around in the last few years. He has soft hands and a good touch around the basket and shows signs of being someone who can make double-teams pay with good kick-out passes. He has true center size and knows how to score with his back to the basket. He has a lot of upside, because his body is still developing and he will eventually gain more strength, advancing his success around the hoop. SHORTCOMINGS: Hawes just turned 19 and looks it. But beyond the baby face, he has a soft body and isn't the greatest athlete. Hawes will naturally get stronger as he matures, but he'll have to make a commitment to always being in great shape, because that's the only way for him to succeed in an athletic league. Hawes isn't nearly ready to compete in the NBA trenches for rebounds with muscular veterans.
This guy is going to be the third best player in the draft IMO. He has Tim Duncan type arsenal on the offensive end, so he should have no problem scoring right away. Also, how is Hawes downside Joel Pryzbilla? Pryzbilla is defensive minded and rebounds, while Hawes is offensive minded and doesn't rebound......
