Former UConn Star Drops Team-High 24 Points In Win Over Trail Blazers
A former UConn Huskies star played a huge role in helping the New Orleans Pelicans get to 2-0 on Friday night with a 105-103 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
22-year-old shooting guard Jordan Hawkins — who won a national championship at UConn in 2023 under Dan Hurley — led the Pelicans in scoring in 29 minutes off the bench.
Hawkins dropped 24 points on 8-for-12 from the field (4-for-7 from three) to go along with five rebounds and zero turnovers. He was 4-for-4 from the line. Other high scorers for New Orleans were Brandon Ingram (21 points), C.J. McCollum (20), and Zion Williamson (16).
Hawkins has been on fire lately. He led all Pelicans bench scorers in New Orleans’ first game and looks like a legitimate NBA Sixth Man of the Year candidate right now.
Anyone following Hawkins or the Pelicans may have seen this hot start to the season coming, seeing as Hawkins had some dominant showings during preseason.
Before the season, New Orleans wisely picked up the team option on the third year of Hawkins’s contract. Now in his second season in the NBA, Hawkins is poised to take a leap and will be generating trade interest from around the league.
UConn continues to make its mark on the modern NBA.
Hawkins’s teammate at UConn, Donovan Clingan, finished Friday’s game with four points, six rebounds, and an impressive four blocks for the Trail Blazers.
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-6cddf44b9a81eadb9d1a4c19c1b3db49.jpeg "Colin Keane")
Colin Keane is a contributing journalist for "UConn Huskies On SI." Born in Illinois, Colin grew up in Massachusetts as the third of four brothers. For his high school education, Colin attended St. Mark's School (Southborough, MA), where he played basketball and soccer and served as student body president. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Villanova University. Colin currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "UConn Huskies On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org