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R.J. Hunter: Phoenix Suns 2015 Draft Profile

By Gerald Bourguet

Jun. 5, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; 2015 NBA Draft prospect R.J. Hunter talks to the media at his Phoenix Suns draft workout. Mandatory Credit: Gerald Bourguet-Valley of the Suns
Jun. 5, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; 2015 NBA Draft prospect R.J. Hunter talks to the media at his Phoenix Suns draft workout. Mandatory Credit: Gerald Bourguet-Valley of the Suns /
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R.J. Hunter
Mar 19, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Georgia State Panthers gather around Panthers guard R.J. Hunter (right) following their victory over the Baylor Bears in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Jacksonville Veteran Memorial Arena. Georgia State defeated Baylor 57-56 on Hunter’s three point basket with 2.8 second left in the game. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports /

Strengths

Let’s start with the obvious: R.J. Hunter is a damn good shooter.

This is only one play of a three-year college career, but if perfectly exemplifies Hunter’s greatest NBA attributes. Not only does he have incredible range on that silky smooth jumper of his, but he’s deadly in catch-and-shoot situations and he’s capable of leading with clutch shotmaking — something that was on display all year long at Georgia State.

When you look at Hunter’s numbers from his junior season, they’re admittedly underwhelming. He shot 39.5 percent from the field and 30.5 percent from three-point range in his final collegiate season, which doesn’t exactly sound like a ringing endorsement for his jump shot.

But there are a number of factors that made those numbers look so bad. For one thing, Hunter was taking an eye-popping 7.7 three-pointers per game for an offense that needed him to shoot, while also playing the role of facilitator.

His shooting mechanics are extremely fluid, and since he shot 87.8 percent from the line last year (not to mention 35.4 percent from downtown over the course of his three college seasons), it stands to reason that he’ll become more efficient at the next level with the right development.

However, don’t just think of Hunter as the guy that stands in the corner and knocks down open looks. That might be his role early in his NBA career as he adjusts to the speed of the game, but the Panthers also relied on Hunter as their primary ball handler and playmaker.

“I thought the first two years I was more of a catch-and-shoot guy,” he said at his Suns draft workout. “In the last year I was kind of forced to make plays, we didn’t have a true point. So I was kind of forced to play-make from the wing and see different schemes and read defenses better.”

That experience will only help him at the next level, where a simple up-fake will open up avenues for him to make plays off the dribble since he has a terrific basketball IQ and sees the floor extremely well. Not bad for someone who’s perceived as one-dimensional.

Finally, Hunter has the potential to be a serviceable defender. He has an unbelievable wing span (6’11” according to ESPN’s Chad Ford, 6’10.5″ according to DraftExpress) for his position and he racked up steals and blocks at the collegiate level. He still needs a lot of work on that end, but he’s smart enough to be able to develop into a passable perimeter defender.

Next: Weaknesses

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