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De’Andre Hunter
Sporting News
Position: Wing
Year: Redshirt Sophomore
School: University of Virginia
Measurables: 6’7”, 225 lbs
Speed (Lateral): 6.00
Good but not exceptional lateral quickness and footwork. Maintains balance well when shuffling from side to side.
Speed (Agility) and Athleticism: 6.00
Decent first step for his size. Not particularly explosive, but shows some flashes of potential here. Doesn't really change speeds at all. Modest vertical.
Ball Handling: 5.00
Doesn't have an advanced handle, mostly a straight-line driver when slashing to the rim. Really strong jab step, uses this to create space to drive to his right. Much more comfortable going to his right, but can go left on occasion.
Passing Ability: 6.00
Doesn't attempt many high-difficulty passes in part due to his conservative nature, but very high passing IQ. Most of his assists are to open shooters. Recognizes weak side help early and is able to quickly find open corner shooter. Can't really make pocket passes
Free Throws: 7.90
Sports a 78.7 FT% with a .423 FTr. Draws fouls through slashing
Outside Shooting: 7.00
Strong shooter, shoots 47.3 3P% from college range, and a 54.2% 3P% from NBA range (on 24 shots). Really smooth jumper, can expect this to translate. Can shoot over players with ease, 96th percentile on guarded catch and shoot jumpers (per Synergy Sports). Shoots a fair amount of long jumpers with his foot on the line, should be more cognizant of this in the future
Mid-range Shot Consistency: 7.00
Nice mid-range game, can pull-up on a dime with ease over smaller defenders. Settles for mid-range jumpers a bit too often instead of attacking the switch - can be predetermined as well.
Decision Making: 7.00
Patient player, often employs fake to buy him more time and create space. High Basketball IQ - sees the floor well and makes some really great reads. Very conservative player, almost to a fault, although some of this is a byproduct of UVA's defense
Finishing: 7.00
Has the physicality and length to finish through contact here. Almost always pump fakes before going up. Uses advanced footwork to get to the rim well
Post Up: 6.50
Possesses strong post up, can make shots from both elbows. Liable to attempt mid-range jumper if he doesn't establish solid interior positioning. Recognizes help defense early and passes to open man
Uses Screens Effectively: 6.00
Makes strong use of flare screens/pin-downs to get open shots (staple of UVA's Blocker-Mover Offense). Can operate as a primary ball handler in the PnR, attacks the rim well here. Average recognition of where the open man is when the defense commits
Fast Release Time: 7.00
Very good jump shot form. High release point, elbow comes through in line with body, feet shoulder width apart. Difficult to bother shot. Can pull up fairly quickly
Play Off the Ball: 5.00
Relegated to mostly just standing in the weak side corner when he doesn't have the ball due to UVA's system. Projects to be a dangerous off-ball player when given more freedom due to his outside shooting ability and high basketball IQ in the NBA
Rebounding: 5.00
Gets himself in good position when going for rebounds. Fights hard for inside positioning, uses hips to box out well. Rebounding numbers depressed in UVA's system, can expect them to improve in new situation
Defensive Effectiveness: 7.50
Excellent defender, excels at using his body to stay in front of his man and make things difficult for the opposition. Great perimeter defender. Possesses great recovery speed when he overcommits. Uses wingspan well, makes himself big. Alert help defender. Sometimes slides his feet when he needs to adjust to chase. Doesn't deal with explosive players as well as you think, doesn't turn hips quick enough and sometimes caught flat footed. Can improve here, but otherwise very sound defender
Steals/Disruptiveness: 6.00
Very conservative defender, doesn't gamble often. A bit worrying that his Stock% has decreased from his Freshman to Sophomore year, but still should increase once the reins are loosened in the NBA. Defends well without fouling, which is a very valuable team defense attribute. Despite lack of aggressiveness, very fundamentally sound defender who is (for the most part) tough to get around
Leadership Ability: 4.00
Type of player who leads by example, doesn't seem particularly vocal
Versatility: 6.50
Arguably the most versatile defender in this year's class, can adeptly switch 1-4. Has the length and quickness to defend on the perimeter and the size and strength to hold his own inside. Offensively, he is a bit limited here due to lack of consistent shot creation and below average ball handling
Intangibles: 7.00
Has all the fundamentals down pat, High Basketball IQ, High Motor
Strengths:
Defense, Outside Shooting, Slashing, Basketball IQ
Weaknesses:
Shot Creation, Ball Handling, Aggressiveness
Overall Analysis:
De'Andre Hunter is a highly talented 3-and-D wing from the University of Virginia. Hunter has great instincts and is a very fundamentally sound player who excels at doing the little things that ultimately win basketball games. Hunter is a bit challenging to evaluate because his role is repressed at Virginia; he's not used as much as a player as talented as him usually is. Hunter shows flashes of this overwhelming potential at times, with powerful drives to the rim and fantastic shot contests. While Hunter would do very well to reach this ceiling, Hunter looks a bit like Kawhi Leonard sans the ball handling ability. If Hunter can develop his ball handling and increase his aggressiveness, the sky is the limit for him.
Compares To:
Kawhi Leonard, Robert Covington, Khris Middleton