Milwaukee Bucks: Options at No. 31
By Phil Watson
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P.J. Hairston scored … and shot … a lot in the D-League after leaving North Carolina. (Screen capture from youtube.com)
P.J. Hairston, SG, NBA D-League
Hairston was a standout at North Carolina before being declared ineligible and playing the end of the 2013-14 for the Texas Legends in the D-League.
The 21-year-old was productive, averaging 21.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 26 games, averaging 32.3 minutes and shooting a slash of .453/.358/.870.
But one thing popped out at me: 0.8 assists per game. There’s black holes and then there’s just damn.
Hairston has NBA size for the 2, at 6-foot-5 and 229 pounds, and he measured out to a 6-foot-9 wingspan at the draft combine last month.
Hairston can flat out shoot; one of the reasons he transitioned so quickly from college to the D-League is that he had no trouble adjusting to the longer 3-point line—he hit 73 long bombs in just 26 games for the Legends.
But he also picked up some bad habits playing in the D-League, appearing to be moving in slow motion on defense. That was also a criticism while he was at North Carolina, though, so it may have been a transfer of bad habits rather than the acquisition of them.
Why he makes sense for the Bucks is pretty simple to figure out. Adding another legitimate scoring option would almost have to make life a little easier for Larry Drew in year two at the reins. But Hairston could be gone before the Bucks make this pick.
Projected to come off the board: No. 15-31.