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At age 29, if there is to ever be a unison between Josh Hawkinson and the NBA, the time is now. As of today, he has not had so much as a summer league appearance. But in his seven-year professional career to date, he has become one of the very best players in Asia.
Graduating from Washington State in 2017, Hawkinson went to Japan, where he has stayed ever since. He has played his way into the top tier of Japanese basketball, become one of the best players in it, and – by virtue of earning a passport through residency – has now become the best player for his country, too. Last season for the Hitachi Sun Rockers, he averaged 17.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 blocks per game, mixing in greater than 40 percent three-point shooting as a part of a versatile offensive package. Hawkinson can score inside and outside the paint, inside and outline the line, with and without called plays, and pairs it with good rebounding instincts and defensive footwork. It just would help if he was a little bit more explosive.
The 2017 NBA Draft featured players such as T.J Leaf, Tyler Lydon, Anzejs Pasecniks and Ivan Rabb, all somewhat comparable to Hawkinson in their skill sets, yet also all selected ahead of the never-seriously-considered Hawkinson on account of being more athletic, bigger, or both. But none of them stuck, and two of them (Lydon and Rabb) have already been out of basketball for some years. Hawkinson, in contrast, has carved his own path and consistently improved his all-around power forward game, one built on versatility and skill rather than burst.
By being in Japan all these years, he has not had many reps against the world’s best players, and lacks for the relevant experience. Yet he showed in this tournament that just maybe, he could do it.