Indiana Basketball: Bryce Hopkins scouting report

Bryce Hopkins: Weaknesses

There is more to like about Hopkins’ game than not, but, like everyone else, he has his flaws. Even though he has a good frame and good strength, Hopkins is not anywhere close to being an elite athlete. He doesn’t move particularly quickly around the court, and he isn’t much of a jumper.

This lack of athleticism may play into the early part of his career more than the latter part of his career. Once he gets on a college weight lifting program, he is going to get even stronger. After two years, he’ll be muscle-bound and impossible to move off the block, making up for some of that lost athleticism.

Hopkins doesn’t project as a guy who will dominate from the outside during his college career. His three-point shot will likely improve, but he may never get to the point where he can create his own shot outside of the paint. As he matriculates to playing the toughest teams in college basketball, he may have more of an issue with being paint-dominant at only 6’7”.

Another knock on Hopkins is his effort. There is only so much you can tell from clips and game film on Youtube, but Hopkins is often slow to get back on defense and at times doesn’t appear to be very engaged on that end of the floor. He doesn’t look to be a very natural defender with great decision making and instincts, but that is okay considering 95% of all recruits share the same quality.

Overall, Hopkins would be a great addition to Indiana’s roster. He projects to be a little bit like Draymond Green but without the gifted passing ability. 6’7”, strong, can play the three or the four, a little shooting ability, and a decent handle. I’ll take that any day.