OKC Thunder draft prospect profile: RJ Hampton
RJ Hampton strengths and weaknesses:
Strengths:
As a combo guard, one of Hampton’s greatest strengths is his dazzling speed. When put into open floor situations, he’s able to use his pace to be dangerous and utilize his good passing skills. This causes confusion for his opponents who aren’t able to keep up with this and his solid handles.
Hampton’s length, long strides, and ability to change direction swiftly support this. Moreover, this past season, he demonstrated glimpses of superb vision to get his teammates involved and find the open man.
When shooting, he’s got great elevation which allows him to get over defenders. As Corey Tulaba of the Hardwood Herald suggests in this case “he’s very Westbrook-like.” This is also in reference to his quick release.
Another appealing characteristic is Hampton’s striking athleticism and determination to get to the rim which I can say now that watching this in person was remarkable. The youngster put on a show in front of the Breakers’ home crowd. Furthermore, with scope for improvement, he does a good job of defending one-on-one and showcased hints of impressive footwork and tempo when doing this.
A palpable advantage is his experience in a professional environment unlike other prospects in the draft. As he mentioned in a recent pre-draft interview, this helped him become a better teammate as he didn’t get the same opportunities as college players. Despite the difference in competition, this will help Hampton in adjusting to the NBA.
light. Related Story. RJ Hampton offers details on Thunder interview
Weaknesses:
The main area of work for Hampton is his court awareness and rhythm on offense. He’s not a traditional point guard who is a playmaker, and that perhaps comes down to his role with the Breakers.
Nonetheless, this points to the fact that he may be more of a catch and shoot and wing type of player. But with development, there’s no reason why he won’t be able to advance his offensive skills.
Many scouting reports reveal his need to become stronger with him often being pushed around in the paint and easy to get past. This is something opposing teams target. Another area of refinement is his decision making when going full steam at the rim as well as the need to be more conscious in certain offensive positions. This is in order to prevent being caught off guard and being rejected by elite defenders.