RJ Hamptons' overall performance on the pitch over the past two seasons may not have really been noticed by many fans.
After the 2020 draft was picked by the Pelicans with the 24th pick in the first round and sent to the Nuggets, RJ Hampton did not get many opportunities in this Nuggets team, considering the Nuggets' roster depth and team goals, they really did not have much time to develop such a guard player, which is also a big reason why RJ Hampton did not get much playing time in the Nuggets' backcourt rotation.
Before being sent to the Magic by the Nuggets, R.J. Hampton averaged just 9.3 minutes of playing time in 25 games, during which time he contributed only 2.6 points and 2 rebounds, and only had a 27.8 percent three-point shooting rate outside the three-point line.
Luckily, after being traded to the Magic by the Nuggets, RJ Hampton got what was most valuable as a young player: the chance to play. In the 26 games since being sent to the Magic, RJ Hampton averaged 25.2 minutes per game, and his stats improved to 11.2 points, 5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, in addition to 43.9% shooting and 31.9% three-point shooting.
These are the different stats of RJ Hampton's performance during his rookie season for two different teams, and when he can get more playing time, RJ Hampton shows that he is completely a player with different talent prospects.
Even in the Magic, RJ Hampton's talent is easily buried in the Magic's rotation lineup, after all, the Magic still has a lot of young backcourt players to cultivate. But RJ Hampton is still a young player in the growth stage, and his talent definitely needs time to gradually develop.
For young players, most of the performance on the field will inevitably seem a little rough, and RJ Hampton's outside performance is even more so, but he is a young player with top foot movement speed and athletic talent, just to translate this talent into an advantage of being able to play efficiently in the NBA, RJ Hampton undoubtedly needs to change his way of playing and polish his skills.
The good news is that RJ Hamptons have improved significantly so far this season. The first is the three-point shooting rate, RJ Hampton has increased from 31.9% three-point shooting per game in the 2.7 three-point shooting during his time for the Magic last season to 38.9% three-point shooting rate in 2.8 three-point shooting so far this season.
What's more, RJ Hampton has better control over his own data on the outside in the game, of course, as the second season of his career, RJ Hampton also occasionally has the inability to control the pace of his feet and leads to mistakes.
RJ Hampton gradually adjusted his way of playing
In the last Magic game against the Bucks, even though the Magic eventually lost to the defending champion 118-136, RJ Hampton was one of the players who had a great performance in this game, or the control and influence he showed as an organizer was even more impressive.
Throughout the game, RJ Hampton, who came off the bench for 32 minutes, had 15 points, five assists and three rebounds on 5-of-12 shooting, and he made just one turnover in the 32-minute game. After triggering a health and safety protocol and ending the quarantine, RJ Hampton was still in very good shape, even saying that he could play a more comfortable game and better understand how to involve his teammates in the game.
"I feel comfortable on the court," R.J. Hampton said after losing the game to the Bucks, "I feel like it's second nature to have the ball in hand and thanks to the coach for trusting me and my teammates, it makes me look great tonight." ”
RJ Hampton, who originally participated in the draft as a point guard and eventually entered the league, began to play more and more non-ball roles in this Magic team, and in terms of statistics, RJ Hampton only played 19% of his playing time after joining the Magic in the point guard position, compared with up to 71% of his playing time as a point guard, and even 7% and 2% of the playing time was in the position of small forward and big forward, respectively.
This also largely determines the role of RJ Hampton on the offensive end of the team after joining the Magic, in terms of projection data outside the three-point line, RJ Hampton has two three-point shots on the ball, but RJ Hampton can have a high 45.3% three-point shooting rate in these shots. In addition, RJ Hampton averaged only 0.8 shots per game on dry three-point shooting, and these shots only showed a 24% three-point shooting rate.
Judging from the data on the balls received from outside the three-point line, we also seem to understand why the Magic coaching staff is reluctant to let RJ Hampton play as a point guard, but prefers to let him play as a player without the ball on the offensive end, and even chooses to sign Tim Fraser as the team's main point guard on a 10-day short contract, because RJ Hampton can indeed play an efficient performance for the team on the no-ball projection.
It was only due to injury problems and the impact of the new coronavirus outbreak that the Magic were still weak in the depth of the point guard, and the Magic coaching staff had to rely on RJ Hampton's play as the organizer, which of course was also a test of whether RJ Hampton could control the rhythm well when playing as a point guard.
Against the Bucks, RJ Hampton showed good control of the game. More than once, RJ Hampton gave up the option of forcing a layup after breaking through a defender, instead being able to make a correct interpretation of the opposing defense and find an empty teammate.
For example, in an offensive round in the final 6 minutes of the fourth quarter, after RJ Hampton broke through to the inside line with the Bucks' defense of George Hill and attracted the defense of two other Bucks defenders, RJ Hampton did not choose to force the shot, but passed the ball to The Younger Wendell Carter, who received the pass and hit a three-pointer:
In this game, RJ Hampton, who came off the bench, contributed a total of five assists, which is also his sixth game so far this season to deliver at least five assists in a single game. In fact, RJ Hampton still had a lot of potential assists against the Bucks, but the players who got the empty opportunities and RJ Hampton assists didn't hit those shooting opportunities.
RJ Hampton may not be the point guard with the best organizational talent, but with his passing instincts and ability to impact the basket, he still has the potential to be a better organizer in the coming season, and more importantly, as he continues to learn to play games with more solid performances, he has shown a lot of shining points this season.
At least RJ Hampton didn't make it into the team's best starting lineup, and the overall performance of the bench players was more difficult, which meant that RJ Hampton simply couldn't always create scoring opportunities for his best teammates. With more new players coming into the rotation squad with the Magic, RJ Hampton is also pushing more for the role of the organizer.
"RJ Hampton is a very good player, in terms of point guard and even small forward and big forward roles, he can play this role very well, and he can immediately help his teammates when I don't realize it," Tim Fraser said in an interview.
RJ Hampton is also trying to be one of the team's dressing room leaders, and he can indeed lead by example on the pitch as an example for these new players, while still seeking opportunities for himself to play more consistently on the pitch. There's no doubt that this also seems to have made RJ Hampton a more watched player in the Magic squad, and he does play better and have a more positive impact on the team.
With rookie defender Jaren Saggers suffering a thumb injury and absent, Cole Anthony also left the squad with an ankle sprain injury, which also gave RJ Hampton more opportunities to show off his talent.
For example, in the game against the Heat on December 27, Beijing time, this was the first game for RJ Hampton to lift the quarantine restriction and return, although RJ Hampton was indeed a little tired, he still scored 14 points and 5 assists in the 32 minutes of the game against the Heat, in addition to the data performance of 42.9% shooting.
In addition, in the first of the next two games that the Magic lost to the Bucks, RJ Hampton, who played 28 minutes, was also able to have 9 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block on 4-of-11 shooting.
There is no doubt that RJ Hampton can still have a very good statistical performance after the release of the quarantine, and more importantly, RJ Hampton seems to be a better player every game.
RJ Hampton still has a lot of untapped potential, at least so far this season, RJ Hampton can play a full 30 minutes of games can score in double figures and have the statistic of delivering 5 assists.
Write at the end
RJ Hampton still needs more stable and longer playing time and opportunities, but with the Magic suffering from more serious injuries and the impact of the new coronavirus pandemic this season, RJ Hampton can be said to have a perfect opportunity to continue to consolidate his role in this Magic team.
And in terms of the overall performance so far this season, RJ Hampton has been able to cash in on some of his talents, which also makes him one of the most anticipated young players in the active league, of course, magic also hope to see RJ Hampton's talent can play a more important role on the field, and as he gradually accepts his role in the team and continues to grow as he gains more game experience, RJ Hampton is likely to become the cornerstone player who will change the magic's prospects.