Pitt's Hinson Stars for Lakers in Summer League

Former Pitt Panthers forward Blake Hinson starred for the Los Angeles Lakers in their California Classic Summer League Opener.

Feb 24, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers forward Blake Hinson (2) drives to the basket against Virginia Tech Hokies guard Hunter Cattoor (left) during the second half at the Petersen Events Center. The Panthers won 79-64. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- Former Pitt Panthers forward Blake Hinson had an incredible game for the Los Angeles Lakers in their California Summer League Opener.

Hinson came off the bench and played in 19 minutes in the 108-94 loss to the Sacramento Kings, leading the Lakers with 17 points and shooting 5-for-7 from 3-point range and converted two free throws as well. He also grabbed three rebounds, made two assists to one turnover and added a steal.

FIVE threes from Blake Hinson in his Summer Lakers debut 😎 pic.twitter.com/HEe2Gar3UJ

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) July 6, 2024

The Lakers signed Hinson to a two-way contracted, after no team selected him the 2024 NBA Draft.

A Two-Way contract means that players with three years of experience or less receive one salary for playing in both the NBA and the NBA G-League. These contracts can last one or two seasons. 

The Lakers play two more games in the California Summer League next week, against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. and then the Miami Heat on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. both in San Francisco.

NBA TV will broadcast the game against the Warriors and ESPN+ will stream it. ESPN2 will broadcast the game against the Heat.

Hinson will then play in the official NBA Summer League in Las Vegas from July 12-22.

The Lakers face off against the Rockets on Friday, July 12 at 7:30 p.m., the NBA Champions in the Boston Celtics on Monday, July 15 at 10:30 p.m., the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, July 17 at 9:30 p.m. and the Cleveland Cavaliers on July 18 at 9:00 p.m.

ESPN will broadcast the Lakers' games against the Rockets, Hawks and Cavaliers on ESPN and NBA TV will broadcast the game against the Celtics.

Hinson hails from Deltona, Fla. where he played for his father, Denny Hinson, at Deltona High School. His play with his brother, Evan Hinson, helped Deltona make their first ever Final Four in Florida, as he averaged 29.3 points per game as a junior in 2016-17.

He also starred in football, playing at both wide receiver and tight end, and held numerous offers from ACC schools in Georgia Tech, Miami and North Carolina, SEC schools in Georgia and Florida, as well as Baylor, Michigan and SMU.

Hinson would transfer to Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kan., close to Wichita, focusing on basketball. He averaged 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game, respectively, and helped his team to win championships at three tournaments.

Rivals and ESPN ranked him a four-star in the Class of 2018, while 247Sports had him at a three-star. He would eventually choose to commit to Ole Miss, ahead of other schools like Clemson, Florida State and Georgia Tech in the ACC, Pac-12 schools in Washington and Washington State, plus Missouri, Illinois and Seton Hall.

Hinson spent two seasons at Ole Miss, starting all but two of the 60 games he played in. He averaged 9.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, respectively, while shooting 40.0% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range and 71.9% from the foul line.

He transferred to Iowa State ahead of the 2020-21 season and sat out its entirety, due to a medical condition not related to COVID-19. He chose to depart from the program prior to the 2021-22 season.

Hinson landed at Pitt for the 2022-23 season, which reignited his career and put him on the path to professional basketball. 

He had an excellent season, starting 35 of 36 games, while averaging 31.6 minutes, a team-high 15.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, respectively, while shooting 42.8% from the field, 38.0% from behind the arc and 67.9% from the foul line. His 3-point percentage was fifth best in the ACC.

His play earned him Second Team All-ACC honors. His work with other veterans including guards Nelly Cummings, Jamarius Burton and Greg Elliott, plus forward Nike Sibande got Pitt a 24-12 record, 12-8 in the ACC and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016.

Hinson would improve in his last season with the Panthers, starting all 33 games. He led the team with 33.7 minutes and 18.5 points per game, respectively and shooting 42.1% from 3-point range He also averaged 4.4 rebounds, while shooting 45.4% from the field and 66.9% from the field.

He finished the 2023-24 season leading the ACC in 3-point percentage and 3.3 3-pointers per game, third in points per game and 13th in shooting percentage. He earned First Team All-ACC honors for his efforts last season.

His 110 3-pointers this past season is the most in Pitt history, while his 97 3-pointers in the 2022-23 season rank fourth most. 

Two of his best games for the team also came last season in a win in the road in the Backyard Brawl against West Virginia on Dec. 6 and at home against Louisville on Feb. 17.

He scored 29 points in the 80-63 victory over the Mountaineers, shooting 10-for-19 from the field and 9-for-15 from 3-point range. 

Against the Cardinals, he would drop a career-high 41 points in the 86-59 blowout. He also shot 14-for-24 from the field and an impressive 9-for-13 from 3-point range. He scored 27 of his points in the first half, which tied the amount of points Louisville had themselves.

Those 41 points rank tied for third most in a game in Pitt history and the nine 3-pointers in both games rank as the most in a Pitt game ever. 

Hinson is the second Pitt player to make an NBA team this offseason, as the Washington Wizards drafted star freshman guard Bub Carrington with the No. 14 overall pick in the First Round.

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