After a standout senior season at Boise State University this year, swingman Chandler Hutchison has his sights set on the next level as he’s expected to be a mid-to-late first round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Who is Chandler Hutchison?
After capping off his collegiate career with an exceptional senior campaign, Chandler Hutchison is leaving the picturesque, mountainous landscapes of Boise, Idaho to achieve his dream of reaching the NBA in the 2018 NBA Draft.
That didn’t seem possible for Hutchison just two years ago as the combination of playing at a mid-major school as well as his humble beginnings with the Broncos over his freshman and sophomore seasons wouldn’t have launched him into draft consideration in any capacity.
But as has been well covered in his ascendance over the last two seasons, most notably in this profile by Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated, Hutchison remade virtually every facet of his game the summer after his sophomore season, with the help of his coach Leon Rice and associate head coach Phil Beckner.
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Hutchison saw immediate dividends in his development plan once his junior season got underway as he logged a breakout season, one in which he ended up finishing with First-Team All Mountain West honors.
After briefly testing the waters during last year’s draft process, Hutchison opted to return to school for his senior season this year.
It’s a decision that worked fully to his favor as Hutchison functioned as an even greater focal point, seeing that he recorded a 33.2 usage percentage, and posted 20 points on shooting splits of .475/.359/.728, along with 7.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 31 appearances.
Those marks helped Hutchison in not only being named First-Team All Mountain West for the second straight year, but he had the honor of being named to the Mountain West All-Defensive Team as well.
So without further ado, let’s break down what Chandler Hutchison has to offer, areas where he has to improve, how draft experts rate him and examine his potential fit with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Strengths
The first skill that stands out in Hutchison’s vast arsenal is his expertly, fine tuned finishing at the rim.
Whether it’s gliding with the ball in his hands in transition, navigating his way through the paint in half court situations or attacking closeouts when saddled off the ball, Hutchison is a triple threat when it comes to his ability to attack the rack.
As Eli Boettiger of Mountain West Wire covered here, among other shooting marks, Hutchison finished an astonishing 72 percent of his drives to the rim during his senior season. Combine that with his ability to draw whistles from officials as he converted 72.8 percent of his 7.2 attempts from the charity stripe, the California native possesses plenty of craft at or around the basket.
Aside from his varied scoring ability, Hutchison stands as a very well-rounded player across other areas of his game.
The former Bronco improved on his playmaking and his overall assist total year over year and crashes the defensive glass regularly, considering he recorded a 21.1 defensive rebounding percentage over his four seasons in the Idaho capital.
Lastly, with his great size (6’7″) as well as his seven-foot wingspan, Hutchison projects to be a versatile defender on the next level and can snuff out actions or break up passing lanes as he averaged 1.9 steals per 40 minutes this season.
Weaknesses
If there’s one question Hutchison has to answer definitively upon making the jump to the NBA, it’s in regards to his shot, specifically from long range.
Hutchison has certainly become capable of knocking down three-pointers, primarily off of catch-and-shoot situations, after rebuilding his form between his sophomore and junior seasons. That’s evidenced by the fact that he drained 72 of his 197 attempts from beyond the arc (37.7 percent) over his last two seasons at Boise State.
But with the role player responsibilities he’ll likely be tasked with by NBA teams, depending on the outlook of the situation he’ll come into, Hutchison will have to prove just how viable his proficiency is from that level of the floor and under a higher volume of attempts.
Additionally, as is the case with any players of his age and/or class when entering the league, Hutchison will have to show there’s still a level of upside left in his game.
For all the significant strides he’s made over the course of his collegiate career and as a prospect, teams might paint him as a player who has tapped out his array of capabilities at 22 years old. Of course, if his glowing work ethic is any indication, it’s up to Hutchison to continue putting in the work to prove that sentiment and his critics in general, wrong.
What the experts say
(as of 5/27/18)
ESPN (Jonathan Givony): 24th
The Ringer (Kevin O’Connor, Jonathan Tjarks, Danny Chau): 22nd
Sports Illustrated (Jeremy Woo): 22nd
Sporting News (Chris Stone): 24th
The Athletic (Sam Vecenie): 22nd
The Stepien (Cole Zwicker): 34th, Tier 6
The Step Back (Brandon Kleen): 27th
Quotes:
Following his decision to bow out of the NBA Draft Combine altogether last weekend, The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie wrote about the buzz surrounding Hutchison with rumors suggesting the Boise State product may have secured a promise from a team picking in the first round at this point in the process:
"“Boise State wing Chandler Hutchison was the best of the bunch, with rumors swirling in Chicago that he decided to stay away after securing a “promise” from a team with a pick in the 20s that it would select him if he’s on the board. Those promises happen fairly rarely this early in the process. The idea behind such a move would be to hide a certain player from other teams, with something of an implicit agreement between the player and the organization to mostly shut down individual workouts. A mature, intelligent kid with long arms and terrific, fluid athleticism, Hutchison was seen as someone who likely would have performed well in a setting like the one in Chicago, raising even further questions about his decision. Hutchison is signed with up-and-coming Priority Sports agent Kieran Piller. Piller, along with Priority’s head agent Mark Bartelstein, has helped place multiple clients in Portland (Zach Collins, Wade Baldwin, Cliff Alexander) and Chicago (R.J. Hunter, Bobby Portis). My bet is that he doesn’t get past Chicago at No. 22 and could end up being picked earlier.”"
Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated touched on why Hutchison has placed himself in the first round conversation, thanks to the alluring blend of skills and the versatility he offers when on the court:
"“Offering a nice mix of size, athleticism and production, Hutchison took a nice step forward statistically this season as a heavy offensive focal point for the Broncos (he used a whopping one-third of their possessions). He won’t be asked to carry that big a load in the NBA, but his ability to attack the rim on straight-line drives,make an impact on the glass and find gaps in the defense as an off-ball threat are all appealing. He also may have a chance to potentially play as a small-ball four at times, creating more of a mismatch with his quickness. Hutchison doesn’t create especially well off the dribble and has to keep improving as a shooter, but he belongs in the late first-round picture.”"
Fit with the Bucks
We won’t veer into the speculation over whether they could be the team that made a promise to him, but there are plenty of positive traits to suggest that Hutchison would be a viable selection at 17 for the Bucks.
First and foremost, with all the glowing accounts over his work ethic and offseason mindset, Hutchison would fit well within the dynamic that has been instilled from the top end of the Bucks’ roster and now under new head coach Mike Budenholzer.
And as we have touched on in previous draft profiles, the addition of Budenholzer and hopefully the majority of the coaching staff he assembled while in Atlanta, is reassuring in terms of Hutchison developing even further when he reaches the next level.
But considering how the Bucks’ recent first round selections have panned out, instant contributors are greatly needed with the window that’s been created with superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Hutchison may be the closest to being a fully formed product as far as prospects go that have been regularly slotted within range of where the Bucks are selecting in this year’s draft.
Sure, that may mean there’s a level of upside lost in Hutchison that may be present in younger prospects in that range, but with the projectable qualities he possesses, he may be best served to take on the responsibilities that will be asked of him and flourish doing so.
Simply put, a player of Hutchison’s skill set is one of a few the Bucks will always be looking for and if they’re confident he’s capable of further growth in a more moderate usage role, he may be the right player to take at 17 come draft night.