While it's hard to get a true read on just how good he can become in four games, J.J. Hickson has made quite an impression on the Blazers and their interim head coach Kaleb Canales. In just under 24 minutes per game, Hickson has averaged 12.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals on 63.9% shooting in his first four games with the Trail Blazers.
Despite Hickson's above average athleticism, the Kings had a logjam at both power forward and center. With DeMarcus Cousins firmly entrenched as the starting center, Hickson was forced to battle with Jason Thompson and offseason signing Chuck Hayes for minutes at both the '4' and '5'. Chuck Hayes is undersized for a center, but lacks the length and athleticism to compete with the elite athletes manning that position in the NBA. When Thompson emerged from the fray as the starting power forward, Hickson was left with largely scrap minutes behind him.
As the trading deadline approached, the team started utilizing a smaller starting lineup, further reducing his minutes. In a ten game stretch from March 2nd through the 18th, Hickson appeared in just one game, logging just six minutes. When the deadline passed without the Kings able to swing a deal, the team decided to waive Hickson in hopes a team would claim him, and as a result, find some financial relief from that.
While I was initially surprised by the Blazers placing a claim on Hickson, the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Hickson is just 23 years old, and an athletic big man on a team that lacks athleticism in the frontcourt (save for LaMarcus Aldridge). While his basketball intelligence isn't super high, he has a respectable jumper out to around 16 feet, and a quick first step off the dribble that results in him reaching the foul stripe with some regularity (2.6 attempts in 20 minutes/game in his career). He has a decent low-post game, but will occasionally force up shots, often missing open teammates on the kickout. Hickson's best part of his offensive game might be working off the screen game, as his respectable jumper makes him a threat to pop. He's also able to slip the screen and attack the rim, where he shows a willingness to absorb contact, and enough strength to regularly finish through it.
Defensively, Hickson is a very active defender, and has good enough foot speed to keep some small forwards in front of them. He will bite on pump fakes, and doesn't keep his arms straight up when contesting a shot, which leads to some avoidable fouls. He has active hands defensively, and with a good wingspan will get his fair share of steals. Hickson's defensive I.Q. is also somewhat lacking, as he will occasionally struggle in rotations, leaving the lane wide open.
According to Storytellers Contracts, Hickson has a $3.3 million qualifying offer. With his production thus far, it's hard for me to imagine that the Blazers wouldn't make the offer. Even if they aren't sure about him, the move would afford Portland the opportunity to match a potential offer. If Hickson were to sign the one year tender, then the team would have a rotation-level player at a fairly reasonable price (less than $1 million above the Mini Mid-Level Exception of $2.5 million), and would give the team another season to evaluate Hickson's potential long-term value.
With the team potentially having as much as $23 million in cap space for free agents this summer, the team could likely afford to give Hickson a reasonable contract, as thus far he's likely provided much more than the Blazers expected when claiming him off waivers.
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