New Orleans Pelicans rookie Jordan Hawkins turned in another productive outing on Tuesday and found himself in rare company after defeating the Dallas Mavericks.
Hawkins produced 25 points, six rebounds and three assists in the 131-110 victory. He went 8-of-17 from the field, including 5-of-12 from 3-point range, in 32 minutes off the bench to help the Pelicans snap a five-game losing streak.
The 14th pick is one of two rookies with multiple 25-point games this season (Victor Wembanyama). He is third among rookies in scoring (13.7) and leads the class in 3s per game (2.9) and total 3s (32).
“We don’t have to tell him to shoot the ball,” said assistant coach James Borrego, who filled in for head coach Willie Green. “He has great confidence, so if he is open, knock it down. We’ve seen a couple of games like this so far for a rookie. I think he is up there as far as the most 3s made after the first (11) games. When he is doing that, it spaces the floor.”
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Hawkins’ 32 3-pointers are the most by a first-year player in NBA history through the first 11 games of a career, topping Bennedict Mathurin (31), Luka Doncic (29), Brandon Jennings (28) and Keegan Murray (27).
He said it is pretty cool to be atop a list like that.
It is dope. You see ‘NBA history’ and your name next to it is really cool. It is a blessing, but I’ve got to keep doing what I’m doing and helping my team. That’s all I’m trying to do. The awards and all of that stuff, if you perform, it’ll all fall in line.
Hawkins recently became one of 25 rookies to produce 30 points in a game with seven made 3-pointers. He is one of two rookies this season with a 30-point game (Wembanyama) and one of six in Pelicans history to reach that mark.
The team has turned to him early this season with some players down with injuries. He has been one of the top rookies to start the year and should continue to prove that nightly.
“I know I’m supposed to be here,” Hawkins said. “I know what I’ve done to get to this point — all of the hard work I’ve put in to get here. I’m not saying I’m supposed to have these games, but I’m not surprised as well ’cause I know how hard I worked to be at this point.”
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