Sometimes players have an excellent rookie year, only to fall off a cliff shortly after.
Think about it.
Jordan Hawkins, formerly of the New Orleans Pelicans, is a perfect example of this. As a rookie, the UConn guard was a shooting specialist who had months of high-quality looks and high-quality shot-making. The Pelicans went into the past few seasons hoping that he and Trey Murphy III could become the outside threat that would allow Zion Williamson and Derik Queen to succeed inside.
However, while Murphy kept up his side of the bargain, Hawkins fell off until he was unplayable and was dumped to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Now a free agent after being waived, there seems to be little hope for Hawkins's career to continue. However, if there's one thing the Pacers are great at, it is rehabilitation stories, and while the defense is still a work in progress, if there is one archetype that their offense still badly needs, it is a shooting specialist.
*LeBron voice* Real Life Ooter
The Pacers have a collection of both good and great shooters. They have Andrew Nembhard, they have Aaron Nesmith, and they have Tyrese Haliburton. And that's just their top three guys! That makes calling shooting a need seem weirdly unaligned with the reality of their roster. However, not all shooting is created equal.
What the Pacers don't have is a player off the bench who can get hot in an instant. They have real shooters, but they don't have a surprise appearance that could shift a playoff game. This was something the Miami Heat excelled in for years, something that would push postseason games in their favor and allowed them to make multiple Finals runs with a mediocre team.
From Duncan Robinson to rookie Tyler Herro to Gabe Vincent and Caleb Martin. They could always find decent shooters who would come in and suddenly make a handful of threes, completely shifting the entire momentum of the game.
The Pacers don't have this, and it's something that it would behoove them to search for.
Now, it's safe to say Hawkins is not the best option in this role. There was a reason his career imploded, and he's now been waived by a rebuilding team like the Grizzlies. He isn't great, but there's one thing he does have going for him.
Let me point at my assistant GM Jonah Hill as I say this, but Jordan Hawkins is the cheapest option at this point in the offseason.
Even a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal would give the Pacers the opportunity to see what they could have in Hawkins. Just feeling out whether the 24-year-old can meld into the Pacers' system and regain the confidence and shooting that made him a fringe lottery pick is worth the non-guaranteed deal that would only last a few weeks.
With training camp already in session, there's no real reason not to do this move.
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