Inside The Panthers

What the Lakers Get in Blake Hinson

The Los Angeles Lakers Signed Pitt Panthers star forward Blake Hinson on a two-way contract, landing one of the most intriguing draft prospects.

Dominic Campbell

Feb 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers forward Blake Hinson (2) dribbles the ball against the Louisville Cardinals during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Pittsburgh won 86-59. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers forward Blake Hinson (2) dribbles the ball against the Louisville Cardinals during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Pittsburgh won 86-59. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- Pitt Panthers star forward Blake Hinson signed a Two-way Contract with the Los Angeles Lakers after no team selected him in 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.

Blake Hinson Career Overview

Hinson had a wild career to get to this point, with some incredible recent highs, but also some lows too.

He originally received attention in high school to play football. Standing at 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds, colleges viewed Hinson as a wide receiver/tight end hybrid that would excel at the next level.

Hinson kept with basketball, excelling as a junior at Deltona High School in Deltona, Fla. playing under his father Denny and with his brother Evan, as he averaged 29.3 points per game as a junior in 2016-17.

He would affirm that decision to stick with the sport he loved the most when he transferred to Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kan., close to Wichita. He averaged 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game, respectively, as a senior.

He received four-star ratings from Rivals and ESPN and joined Ole Miss over a number of other schools in their Class of 2018.

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.

His decision to transfer to Pitt ahead of the 2022-23 season brought his form back and gave him a chance to play at the next level.

Hinson started 35 of 36 games that season, 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 then had an even better season this past one, as he started 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 per game , 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. 

Breakdown of Blake Hinson as a Player

Hinson is a great 3-point shooter, one of the best in the 2024 NBA Draft class, and why some find it surprising he didn't get a late Second Round pick selection.

He made more 3-pointers off of screens than eight high-major players last season, as well as 38% of his 100 3-point attempts from beyond 25 feet, beyond where the NBA line is. 

Three of his best games came in wins against in the Backyard Brawl against West Virginia on Dec. 6, then ranked No. 7 Duke on Jan. 20 and Louisville on Feb. 17.

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

He shot 8-for-10 from the floor and a perfect 7-for-7 from 3-point range for 24 points in the upset road win over the Blue Devils, which he also famously jumped on the scorers table to taunt the Cameron Crazies, the Duke student section, at the buzzer.

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 this contest and the one against WVU rank as the most in a Pitt game ever.

When Hinson got going, there was very little teams could do to slow him down. Although, some teams found ways to stop him before he got in rhythm.

Hinson worked well against most college guards due to his size and also against bigger college forwards, because he measured up with them.

His struggles were more apparent in losses to Clemson on the road on Feb. 27 and UNC In the ACC Tournament Semifinals on March 15.

The Tigers used forwards like PJ Hall and Ian Schiefflein and guard Chase Hunter to hold Hinson to 2-for-9 shooting from the field and 0-for-4 from deep.

The Tar Heels had forward Harrison Ingram, who the San Antonio Spurs took No. 48 overall in the Second Round, guard Hinson throughout that game. The plan worked as Hinson played all 40 minutes, but shot 2-for-12 from the field and 0-for-5 from 3-point range, scoring just five points.

He will need to figure out how to score against better, stronger and more defensive-minded forwards and guards at the next level.

Other things to look for improvement from Hinson includes putting up less erratic shots, improving his efficiency at the rim, making just 51.1% of his shots there last season, and his on-ball defense.

Hinson will turn 25 years old in December, so he'll need to quickly work on his weaknesses if he wants to play longer at the NBA level.

Even with his shortcomings, it's hard to deny his 3-point shooting ability and how valuable that would serve for a team needing to spread the floor and create space for shooters.

One player that he would do well to mimic is forward P.J. Tucker, who stands at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds. His best NBA seasons came with the Houston Rockets, where he played as a "stretch 5" or a center.

Former Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni used Tucker in his small ball system, which had the team shoot a high volume of 3-point shots, which benefitted a team with players like James Harden and Eric Gordon.

The Lakers did just hire J.J. Reddick as their new head coach, who carved out a great career in the NBA as 3-point specialist after featuring as one of the best players in the country at Duke in college.

Hinson earned the admiration of Pitt fans, the coaches and his teammates during his time with the program. He is easy to like, gracious with media and authentic to himself, something that should endear him to Lakers fans.

He'll need to prove himself in the NBA Summer League and then the G-League. If he does so, the Lakers will have a great 3-point option as they try to win an NBA title next season with Lebron James and Anthony Davis leading the way.

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Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

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