2020 NBA Draft - Brew Hoop Community Draft Board: RJ Hampton Slots Into 20

Our draft coverage at Brew Hoop continues to chug forward as we had even closer to this unique NBA Draft. In this installment, we’ll breakdown RJ Hampton, who landed at the 20 spot in our community draft board.

Hampton is a unique player. After being recruited by top NCAA Division I programs, he opted to play professionally in the New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League.

Primed as a point guard/shooting guard, Hampton pairs an impactful wingspan (6’7”) with effective ball-handling skills. He’s been known to leave defenders in shambles, utilizing his crossover, hesitancy, and ultimately, getting to his spots on the floor. This allows him to drive to the rack, and while in the process, drawing fouls. Over 18 games with the New Zealand Breakers, Hampton averaged 8.8 PPG and 2.4 APG.

Using his court vision, Hampton has a great ability to make the right pass. In the Under Armour Association in 2018, he averaged six assists per game. As was mentioned before, he can get where he wants — one area being the baseline, which helps him find the open man.

In addition to that facilitation of the basketball, he can also put up points. During his four games of the Nike EBYL in 2019, he averaged nearly 30 points per game (28.8 to be exact). He uses his speed and agility in getting to the basket and exhibits a very strong and aggressive offensive mind.

Another thing that stood out to me is something similar to Donte DiVincenzo. Hampton has a knack of sifting in passing lanes and getting his fingers on the basketball. He averaged 1.5 steals per game over the Under Armour Association in 2018 and averaged two steals per game over his four games of the Nike EYBL in 2019.

One thing that Hampton will want to improve upon in the NBA is his shot selection. He sometimes becomes too aggressive, putting up floaters or contested shots when there are better options for the offense. Improvement can also be made from the midrange area and 3-point line. During the Under Armour Association in 2018, he shot 33.3% from deep. There are also tends to be some inconsistencies in Hampton’s ability to protect the basketball. During the Under Armour Association, he averaged a third-most 3.9 turnovers per game.

Due to Hampton’s decision to bypass college play, there’s a bit of a wild card status to his draft profile. It will be intriguing to see how his play translates to the NBA pace and physicality, but experts compare him to Dante Exum.

Let’s keep it rolling with our next poll as we inch ever closer to #24.

This poll will close at 1 pm (CST) on Friday, November 13.

Brew Hoop Draft Board Rankings

1. Anthony Edwards, SG, Georgia
2. LaMelo Ball, PG, Illawarra Hawks
3. James Wiseman, C, Memphis
4. Deni Avdija, SF, Israel
5. Isaac Okoro, SF, Auburn
6. Onyeka Okongwu, C, USC
7. Killian Hayes, PG, France
8. Obi Toppin, PF, Dayton
9. Devin Vassell, SG, Florida State
10. Tyrese Haliburton, PG, Iowa State
11. Aaron Nesmith, SF, Vanderbilt
12. Tyrell Terry, PG, Stanford
13. Cole Anthony, PG, North Carolina
14. Kira Lewis Jr., PG, Alabama
15. Tyrese Maxey, SG, Kentucky
16. Patrick Williams, SF, Florida State
17. Saddiq Bey, PF, Villanova
18. Precious Achiuwa, PF, Memphis
19. Theo Maledon, PG, France
20. RJ Hampton, PG