Analysis: UNLV big man James Hampshire has particular set of skills

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Wednesday, July 7, 2021 | 2 a.m.

James Hampshire was UNLV’s final roster addition this offseason, which can sometimes indicate that coaches have a certain role in mind for the upcoming campaign. And at 7-foot-1 and with two years of eligibility remaining, it seems likely that Hampshire fits into that “final piece of the puzzle” archetype.

A graduate transfer from Pacific, Hampshire is a pure center who played sparingly last season, appearing in 11 games and averaging 9.5 minutes per contest. With such limited time on the court, it’s no surprise that his statistics are on the modest side: 2.2 points, 1.1 rebounds, 0.5 blocks.

But that doesn’t preclude Hampshire from contributing to UNLV, especially if he is being brought in to play a specific role.

So what does Hampshire bring to the table? Obviously, he’s tall and can use his height to impact play under the basket. Though he averaged less than a block per game last year, he did show an ability to protect the rim, both by contesting shots and dissuading drivers altogether.

His block rate of 7.2% would have been the best mark on UNLV last season, ahead of Reece Brown (6.9%), Moses Wood (5.6%) and Mbacke Diong (4.6%):

While Hampshire has a good idea of how to leverage his natural verticality, some of his other physical attributes leave him at a disadvantage.

Most noticeably, Hampshire is not strong in his base. He is listed at 240 pounds, but smaller, more compact opponents were able to root him out and move him off his spot.

That made it difficult for Hampshire to gain rebounding positioning. When he was boxed out, he stayed boxed out. And when he had a good spot carved out under the rim, opponents simply muscled him out of the way to seize rebounds that should have belonged to Hampshire:

The advanced metrics are not good. Hampshire posted a rebounding rate of 7.0% last year, which is quite anemic for a big man. Seven of UNLV’s nine regulars posted a better rate in 2020-21; only guards Caleb Grill (5.7%) and David Jenkins (4.7%) were less effective rebounders than Hampshire, while Edoardo Del Cadia dwarfed Hampshire with a rate of 18.0%.

Hampshire works hard defensively, but it simply takes him a long time to pick up his feet and put them down again. Pacific mostly asked him to drop down when defending pick-and-rolls, which played to his strengths, but that’s not always an option against teams with competent guard play.

And opposing teams clearly had a scouting report on Hampshire that said he was susceptible to being sealed. In the two games that I watched, opposing big men scored three layups by running the floor, sealing Hampshire and receiving a pass over the top for an easy bucket.

As an on-ball defender, he’s best when he can lay back in the paint and stay between his man and the basket:

On the other end of the floor, Pacific rarely utilized Hampshire offensively. He was mostly a screen setter, a delayed roller, and a garbage man around the basket.

He does appear to have very soft hands, and his touch on close-range shots is good. He hit 66.7% from the field last year and converted an impressive 70.0% around the rim:

Hampshire has the skill set of a backup big man who is capable of contributing at both ends of the court — if the coaching staff emphasizes his strengths and doesn’t ask him to do the things with which he struggles. That means leaving him under the rim on defense, putting him in the dunker’s position on offense and flanking him with a strong rebounder at power forward.

If asked to execute that role, Hampshire’s positive attributes — including his high-energy style — can be a valuable addition for the scarlet and gray.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.