2016 NBA Draft Prospects: Breaking Down NBA Future of Purdue’s A.J. Hammons

A.J. Hammons is a great example of how difficult it is to evaluate players and project where they will go in the NBA draft.

He checks almost all of the boxes when it comes to size and skill, but his effort level and focus are big question marks. 

“If he was a high-motor guy, he’d probably go top-eight,” an NBA scout told Bleacher Report, adding that Hammons would go ahead of Utah’s Jakob Poeltl, who is expected to be the top center taken in the draft.

Instead, Hammons is expected to likely go in the second round with a chance to sneak into the first.

There are red flags from a suspension and benching in college. He missed two exhibition games and the season opener as a sophomore after violating team rules. This past season, he was benched for the first two games and didn’t move into the starting lineup until January 7. 

But once allowed to play, there was progress on the floor, and he played himself into the draft with the best statistical season of his career. 

“He doesn’t always try hard, but when he tries hard, he’s an NBA center,” a second scout said. “He’ll be as good as he wants to be. He’s really strong. He moves really well for a player his size. He can score inside and out, rebound. He was splitting time, but on a per-minute basis, he was pretty good.” 

Relevant Stats

Hammons had good numbers, considering he didn’t get the minutes of most elite players. That’s because Purdue had a pretty stacked frontcourt. Coach Matt Painter had to find time for 7’2″ sophomore Isaac Haas, who would start for most teams and was ahead of Hammons on the depth chart until the middle of the season. 

Extrapolate Hammons’ numbers out per 40 minutes, and he averaged 24.3 points, 13.3 rebounds and 4.1 blocks, per Sports-Reference.com.

Strengths

Hammons has all the tools on the offensive end to succeed in the modern NBA, yet he could be a throwback center as well. 

He can play with his back to the basket and had one of the best jump hooks over his left shoulder in college basketball. He also does a good job of using his big body to seal defenders close to the hoop for easy buckets. He finished 87 percent of his shots at the rim, according to Hoop-Math.com. That’s the top mark for any center in this draft class.  

Away from the basket, Hammons is effective as both a pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop big man. He’s a good screener because he’s thick with nimble feet and has a nice feel for when to slip to the basket. He’s a good shooter with range out to the college three-point line, making six of 11 threes this past season. 

On the defensive end, it’s not easy to find big guys like Hammons during their first couple of years in the league—players who are good shot-blockers and guard their position effectively. Most of the top shot-blockers at this stage are springy but thin, and their greatest value is the ability to block shots as a …

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