Illinois Basketball: 5 Illini players poised to increase their scoring average
Scouting Report. Coleman Hawkins. 481. Pick Analysis. 2022-23 - 9.9 PPG. 2023-24 - 11.5 PPG. 3. player
The offseason was great for a lot of the Illinois basketball players. Ty Rodgers looks in better shape and will lead the Illini at point guard. I think Coleman Hawkins improved his game as well.
I don’t know what the NBA scouts said to Hawkins about improvement, but I would imagine it had to do with his three-point shooting. He pulled out of the NBA Draft and decided to return to Illinois for one more year.
Hawkins put up some great numbers in 2022-23. He averaged 9.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1.1 steals in 32.5 minutes of action in each contest. I would be happy with those numbers this season as well.
But there was an area where Hawkins struggled last season. He only hit 28% of his three-point attempts. That is not a good number at all. It does seem like Hawkins worked on his three-point shooting this summer, though.
In the Kansas exhibition game, Hawkins managed to score 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting from three-point range. That 44.4% is a great number, and if he can stay anywhere near that number this season, he will have a big year.
Just think about that for a second. Hawkins still managed 9.9 points per game while shooting 28% from deep. If he shoots the same number of three-pointers in 2023-24 but increases his percentage to 34%, that would boost his average to 10.6 points per game.
That is kind of where I am at with Hawkins right now. I think he can get his three-point shooting up to 34% this upcoming season. I also believe there is a chance he will take more three-pointers. Look for Hawkins to average around 11.5 points per game in 2023-24.