Georgia State’s R.J. Hunter seems likely headed to his father’s home state of Ohio. (Curtis Compton / AJC)
After perusing the various websites to see where Georgia State’s R.J. Hunter might go in the upcoming NBA draft, it seems most are pegging him to Cleveland.
Not a bad place to be as long as Lebron James and company stay there.
Hunter left Georgia State after a junior year in which he led them to the third round of the NCAA tournament. The 6-foot-6 guard holds numerous school records.
Here’s a roundup:
Yahoo: 24 to Cleveland. An excerpt: "R.J. Hunter has excellent shooting mechanics and good instincts as a passer, which could help him find a role alongside Cleveland's stars in David Blatt's offense."
Bleacher Report: 21 to Dallas. The Mavericks have Monta Ellis at shooting guard, and that's about it. Hunter could see a lot of playing time for Mark Cuban's team.
Sam Vecenie, CBS sports: 16 to Boston. Also not a bad place for Hunter to land. Brad Stevens is an up-and-coming coach in the NBA. The Celtics were among the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA during the regular season with 32.7-percent accuracy rate.
Gary Parrish, CBS sports: 16 to Boston.
Zach Harper, CBS sports: 23 to Portland. The Blazers already have quite a few shooting guards in Wesley Matthews, Arron Afflalo and C.J. McCollum.
Draftexpress: 24 to Cleveland. An excerpt: "Hunter's length gives him quite a bit of positional flexibility and will be very attractive to NBA teams when considering his outstanding shooting stroke and ability to pass the ball."
Walterfootball.com: 24 to Cleveland. An excerpt: "R.J. Hunter was one of the early darlings of the NCAA Tournament, and his ability to score from all over the floor and could provide a shooter off the bench for the Cavaliers."
NBAdraft.net: 24 to Cleveland. An excerpt (this hasn't been updated since January): "Hunter is considered a fringe first round pick and his stock is probably as high as it will ever be … He is proficient in transition and is going to be a solid scorer in the league as long as he puts on some weight and muscle over the next few years … Having seen him in person a number of times and talked to scouts about him, he will need to become a more consistent shooter and learn to pick his spots better … He's a volume type of guy at this point on a team that lacks a lot of scorers … He needs to learn to create his own shot and will need to become a better on ball defender."
Hoopshype: 24 to Cleveland. An excerpt: "Hunter struggled for much of the season with his three-point shot. He was billed by many scouts as the top shooter in college after such an impressive sophomore year and his shooting displays in practices. The issue holding him back appears to be getting quality looks, which may be attributed to a lack of strength and foot speed. While he also struggled in the tournament with his shot, he hit the one that counted, knocking out Baylor and advancing Georgia State. His heroics have elevated his stock to being a likely late first rounder. Playing alongside a quality point guard at the NBA level will make Hunter infinitely more effective."
SI.com: 17 to Milwaukee. An excerpt: "A postseason appearance accelerated Milwaukee's youth movement, but there are still holes. The Bucks need a pivot, though drafting a five here would be a stretch. Expect Milwaukee to grab a swingman like Hunter, one of the draft's best shooters, a nice fit to develop behind Khris Middleton."
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