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Milwaukee Bucks NBA Draft Prospect Watch: R.J. Hampton

By Jordan Treske

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 26: RJ Hampton of the Breakers looks on during the round four NBL match between Melbourne United and the New Zealand Breakers at Melbourne Arena on October 26, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mike Owen/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 26: RJ Hampton of the Breakers looks on during the round four NBL match between Melbourne United and the New Zealand Breakers at Melbourne Arena on October 26, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mike Owen/Getty Images) /
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Milwaukee Bucks, RJ Hampton, NBA Draft
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – NOVEMBER 09: (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images) /

What the experts say

ESPN [$] (Jonathan Givony): 10th

The Athletic [$] (Sam Vecenie): 20th

Sports Illustrated (Jeremy Woo): 19th

Sporting News (Chris Stone): 12th

Bleacher Report (Jonathan Wassermann): 12th

The Ringer (Kevin O’Connor): 13th

Quotes:

Having ranked him 19th on his most recent Big Board for Sports Illustrated, Woo laid out the many concerns surrounding Hampton, in spite of the enticing natural abilities he possesses:

"“It’s not entirely his fault, but preseason expectations were overly bullish on Hampton, and his play in the NBL wound up creating more questions than answers. His range is rather wide as a result, but he still figures to land in the first round based on his size, tools and pedigree. Turning pro early was a challenging adjustment for a player who would have been a high school senior, experience-wise, had he not reclassified. There are real concerns about Hampton’s jumper, particularly given he profiles best as a combo guard and will need to contribute away from the ball. All that said, he was a highly regarded high school prospect, and should benefit if he lands in a situation more conducive to building his confidence. His end-to-end speed and big frame will play up. But he’s a ways off from contributing to an NBA rotation, and makes for a tricky projection.”"

The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie ($) detailed in a recent piece just how disastrous the combination of Hampton’s struggles in the NBL and the abnormal pre-draft process will affect where he ultimately lands in this year’s draft:

"“But I think it’s more likely that Hampton hears his name called somewhere from 11 to 22 or so than it is within the top-10, based on the feedback I’m getting right now. He’s someone who could have really used the workout environment to wash the bad taste of the tape out of evaluators’ mouths. Unfortunately, the truncated pre-draft process likely won’t give him that chance.”"

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