He's my new love affair. Don't get me wrong, Marcus is the man. And Brice is becoming a monster. JB, JJ and Meeks are all integral pieces to our team reaching its full potential. Without any of the starters, we're not a complete team (get well soon Meeks!). But I can't love Hicks anymore than I do right now.
He's only playing about 17 minutes per game. But he's having a tremendous impact in those limited minutes. He's only averaging 9 and 4. But he's soooo efficient. He's shooting a team best 67% from the field and a much improved percentage from the FT line (77%). And that last one is key as he is getting to the line more than any player on the team!
His averages don't tell the whole story either. His points and defensive plays are timely. Meeks has missed the last 3 games and Hicks has stepped up and scored in double figures in all 3. His passing has improved immensely as has his overall court awareness. He's getting more and more comfortable and if his progression continues at this pace, and we have great team success, Hicks, IMO, is the most likely of all our players to be an early entry for the NBA draft. JJ was the guy everyone thought would have a breakout year. And there have been some saying Meeks might look to enter the draft after this year. But Hicks has shown to have the highest ceiling of any of our underclassmen. He has superb athletic ability and he's starting to use it. He went up strong, in traffic, a couple times yesterday and flushed it. He wasn't making those plays last year or earlier this year. His combination of bounce, power and fluidity are making pro scouts take notice.
Yesterday LaPhonso Ellis was calling the game and was raving about Hicks. I thought that was funny because Hicks has been overlooked and it took Ellis to be the guy to finally show him some love. The funny part about it is that Hicks reminds me a lot of Ellis.
Anyway, just wanted to give Hicks the credit he deserves. Keep after it, young man. You got a fan in me.
He's only playing about 17 minutes per game. But he's having a tremendous impact in those limited minutes. He's only averaging 9 and 4. But he's soooo efficient. He's shooting a team best 67% from the field and a much improved percentage from the FT line (77%). And that last one is key as he is getting to the line more than any player on the team!
His averages don't tell the whole story either. His points and defensive plays are timely. Meeks has missed the last 3 games and Hicks has stepped up and scored in double figures in all 3. His passing has improved immensely as has his overall court awareness. He's getting more and more comfortable and if his progression continues at this pace, and we have great team success, Hicks, IMO, is the most likely of all our players to be an early entry for the NBA draft. JJ was the guy everyone thought would have a breakout year. And there have been some saying Meeks might look to enter the draft after this year. But Hicks has shown to have the highest ceiling of any of our underclassmen. He has superb athletic ability and he's starting to use it. He went up strong, in traffic, a couple times yesterday and flushed it. He wasn't making those plays last year or earlier this year. His combination of bounce, power and fluidity are making pro scouts take notice.
Yesterday LaPhonso Ellis was calling the game and was raving about Hicks. I thought that was funny because Hicks has been overlooked and it took Ellis to be the guy to finally show him some love. The funny part about it is that Hicks reminds me a lot of Ellis.
Anyway, just wanted to give Hicks the credit he deserves. Keep after it, young man. You got a fan in me.
