Too Sad to Say Goodbye: Pitt Forward Blake Hinson is leaving soon…

Pitt Forward Blake Hinson Ranked Among Top 75 Prospects

Pitt Panthers forward Blake Hinson is gaining positive momentum ahead of the NBA Draft this week.

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic placed Hinson at No. 71 on his NBA Draft Top 100 Board for 2024, praising his 6-foot-6, 240-pound frame, 6-foot-10 1/4 wingspan, and 8-foot-7 standing reach, which allow him to play both small forward and power forward. Hinson’s ability to overpower smaller guards and compete against taller forwards makes him a versatile offensive player.

Vecenie commends Hinson’s three-point shooting, noting he made more threes off screens than eight high-major players last season and hit 38% of his 100 attempts from beyond 25 feet, surpassing the NBA three-point line. However, Vecenie is concerned about Hinson’s lack of explosiveness, highlighted by a 28-inch vertical leap and poor performance in combine drills. This limited verticality affected his rim shooting, where he made just 51.1% of his attempts.

Additionally, Hinson’s lack of a mid-range game or floater, coupled with his tendency to take low-percentage shots and his subpar defensive quickness, are drawbacks. Despite these concerns, his shooting ability makes him a valuable prospect, ranking above USC’s Bronny James and Syracuse’s Judah Mintz, who are No. 72 and No. 74, respectively.

Vecenie emphasizes the potential value of a shooter like Hinson, noting, “Hinson is an awesome shooter with range out to the NBA 3-point line already and a versatile shot that allows him to get to it from a variety of situations. Even with him already being 24, that’s worth bringing into your program and seeing what improvements can be made on Hinson’s frame.” He suggests that if Hinson can improve his quickness by cutting weight, he might find success in the NBA as a defensive player.

Hinson recently excelled at the G-League Elite Camp in Chicago, leading Team Two with 18 points on 7-for-16 shooting, 2-for-9 from three, and 5-for-7 from the floor. He also had six rebounds, two assists, and four turnovers, helping his team to a 90-78 victory over Team Three.

At Pitt, Hinson started 68 of 69 games over two seasons, averaging 32.6 minutes, 16.8 points, and 5.3 rebounds per game, shooting 44.1% from the field and 40.1% from three. In his best college season, he averaged 33.6 minutes, 18.5 points, and 4.4 rebounds per game, shooting 45.4% from the field and 42.1% from deep, earning All-ACC First Team honors and setting a program record with 110 three-pointers in a season. His 207 total three-pointers and his three-point percentage rank seventh and sixth in program history, respectively.

Pitt hasn’t had a player selected in the NBA Draft since 2014 when the Atlanta Hawks picked forward Lamar Patterson at No. 48 overall. Freshman guard Bub Carrington received an NBA Draft green room invite and is expected to go in the top 20 overall picks. If both Carrington and Hinson are drafted, it would be the first time since 2009 that Pitt had two players selected, with forwards Sam Young and DeJuan Blair going back-to-back at No. 36 and No. 37, respectively. The last occurrence before that was in 1998, with forward Charles Smith at No. 3 overall and Jerome Lane at No. 23.