After re-signing him on a one-year, $4 million deal, Portland has got tremendous value from J.J. Hickson this season, as he's averaging a double-double, while shooting a career-high 56.3% from the field. After a relatively cool market on Hickson led to him re-signing with Portland, as teams were no doubt leery to make a big money long-term commitment for what amount to a strong 20-game stretch, Hickson's strong performance this season will no doubt make him a valuable commodity.
Still just 24 years old, Hickson should be entering the prime of his career, and his strength and athleticism allow him to be one of the best per-minute rebounders in the NBA. His 10.7 rebounds per game rank him 8th in the entire NBA, and nobody ahead of him on that list plays fewer minutes per game than Hickson. He's also a major threat on the pick-and-roll, where he uses that great athleticism to attack the basket (though his free throw shooting has been spotty to this point).
Hickson is not without his limitations, as he's struggled defensively while playing at center (he's a natural power forward), as his size (6'9", 239) makes him one of the shortest centers in the league. He also struggles when forced to hedge on pick-and-rolls, and gets caught out of position when Portland switches to a zone defense.
While Portland and general manager Neil Olshey no doubt have bigger names in mind with their cap room (which could potentially be around $12 million), Hickson has proven to be a productive and consistent performer this season. Should the team miss out on some of the marquee free agents they might pursue, it would perhaps be prudent for the team to consider bringing Hickson back on a long-term contract. Though he's ideally better suited as the first big man off the bench, a re-signed Hickson would provide the team time for rookie center Meyers Leonard to develop while giving the team a solid young frontcourt rotation around All Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge.
Showing posts with label J.J. Hickson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label J.J. Hickson. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Aldridge injury allows Hickson to improve his FA stock
Twice since joining the Trail Blazers, J.J. Hickson has started in place of an injured LaMarcus Aldridge. In those two contests (at Clippers, vs Warriors), Hickson has averaged 26.0 points, 13.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists on 63.9% shooting from the field. With news breaking today that Aldridge will be out for the season after an MRI revealed a slight labral tear in his hip that required surgery, Hickson will be in line for a minutes increase, and perhaps a higher asking price as a free agent this summer.
Since joining the club, Hickson has averaged 14.1 points and 7.2 rebounds in just over 28 minutes per game. Hickson is an aggressive player who sets solid picks outside, and is a threat to score if given the ball after setting a screen. Using his good leaping ability and strength, Hickson is a good lob candidate when attacking the basket, and is also quick enough to beat post defenders off the dribble. Hickson is relentless on the backboards, using his combination of above-average athleticism and length to be very problematic for opponents to box out. While Hickson can block shots, he struggles somewhat on defense. His pick-and-roll defense is not great, as he will occasionally over-commit to helping out the guard, allowing his man to slip to the basket largely uncontested. Because he's so athletic, Hickson will also tend to try and block shots he can't, which leads to him picking up cheap fouls.
Now that the Blazers are without their primary low-post scoring option, Hickson is going to see a solid uptick in both minutes and usage. When paired with Aldridge, Hickson was primarily used as a screen setter, scoring most of his points off of that or second chance points. J.J. will now have ample opportunity to show 29 NBA teams what exactly he can do when given that opportunity (excluding Sacramento, who waived him after the trade deadline).
Big men always tend to command good money, even when the players receiving that money aren't always that good. While his play in Sacramento was sub-par, its hard to find a rhythm when consistent minutes are hard to come by. Since the Blazers claimed Hickson off waivers from the Kings, they will have an option to tender Hickson with a $3.35 million qualifying offer, thereby making him a restricted free agent. Since he's performed so well for the Blazers, I have a hard time believing they won't extend that offer, as the team hasn't had a player that aggressive on both ends of the floor since Greg Oden was healthy (2009).
Both Brandon Bass (2 years, $8.5 million) and Glen Davis (4 years, $25.7 million) signed fairly lucrative contract extensions this offseason, and Hickson's future deal could easily fall in line with those two players, as he's younger and more athletically gifted than either one of those players, but his inconsistency will hurt him some. Teams considering Hickson will have to wonder which version of Hickson they'll be signing: the forgotten big man in Sacramento's frontcourt, or the high-energy scorer and rebounder for the Blazers?
*All contract numbers via Storytellers Contracts
Since joining the club, Hickson has averaged 14.1 points and 7.2 rebounds in just over 28 minutes per game. Hickson is an aggressive player who sets solid picks outside, and is a threat to score if given the ball after setting a screen. Using his good leaping ability and strength, Hickson is a good lob candidate when attacking the basket, and is also quick enough to beat post defenders off the dribble. Hickson is relentless on the backboards, using his combination of above-average athleticism and length to be very problematic for opponents to box out. While Hickson can block shots, he struggles somewhat on defense. His pick-and-roll defense is not great, as he will occasionally over-commit to helping out the guard, allowing his man to slip to the basket largely uncontested. Because he's so athletic, Hickson will also tend to try and block shots he can't, which leads to him picking up cheap fouls.
Now that the Blazers are without their primary low-post scoring option, Hickson is going to see a solid uptick in both minutes and usage. When paired with Aldridge, Hickson was primarily used as a screen setter, scoring most of his points off of that or second chance points. J.J. will now have ample opportunity to show 29 NBA teams what exactly he can do when given that opportunity (excluding Sacramento, who waived him after the trade deadline).
Big men always tend to command good money, even when the players receiving that money aren't always that good. While his play in Sacramento was sub-par, its hard to find a rhythm when consistent minutes are hard to come by. Since the Blazers claimed Hickson off waivers from the Kings, they will have an option to tender Hickson with a $3.35 million qualifying offer, thereby making him a restricted free agent. Since he's performed so well for the Blazers, I have a hard time believing they won't extend that offer, as the team hasn't had a player that aggressive on both ends of the floor since Greg Oden was healthy (2009).
Both Brandon Bass (2 years, $8.5 million) and Glen Davis (4 years, $25.7 million) signed fairly lucrative contract extensions this offseason, and Hickson's future deal could easily fall in line with those two players, as he's younger and more athletically gifted than either one of those players, but his inconsistency will hurt him some. Teams considering Hickson will have to wonder which version of Hickson they'll be signing: the forgotten big man in Sacramento's frontcourt, or the high-energy scorer and rebounder for the Blazers?
*All contract numbers via Storytellers Contracts
Friday, March 30, 2012
J.J. Hickson looking like a keeper for the Trail Blazers
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.
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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