Bryce Hamilton’s pro decision looming large for UNLV

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Saturday, March 13, 2021 | 2 a.m.

Minutes after UNLV’s season ended with a 74-53 loss to Utah State in the Mountain West tournament, junior guard Bryce Hamilton was asked if he has given any thought to whether he’ll return next season.

Hamilton, the team’s leading scorer each of the past two seasons, was noncommittal.

“No, I haven’t thought about that at all,” Hamilton said. “I’m just focusing on the season going on right now. Now that the season’s over, that’s something I probably have to think about.”

Hamilton considered entering the NBA draft last offseason but ultimately came back for another college campaign. Unfortunately for him, he regressed; the 6-foot-4 guard averaged 17.9 points per game but connected on just 43.0% of his shots and only 31.3% of his 3-pointers.

Part of that decline could be attributed to a lingering ankle injury Hamilton suffered midseason. He sat out two games, then returned and looked less explosive as he struggled to finish around the rim. Last year, 34.7% of Hamilton’s shots came around the rim and he converted 58.5% of them; this season he only got to the basket 24.1% of the time and made 56.1% of those shots.

The biggest issue with his game, however, is his long-range shooting. He is a 31.3% shooter from beyond the arc over his college career and never made much progress in that area from year to year. It’s almost impossible to succeed as an NBA guard without an adequate 3-point shot, and Hamilton has a long way to go before he arrives at adequate.

Hamilton is currently not included among the 60 players in two-round mock drafts for Tankathon or NBADraft.net.

According to one NBA scout who is familiar with Hamilton, the Pasadena, Calif., native is a fringe prospect.

“Lucky to find a G League gig?” is how the scout responded when asked to categorize Hamilton’s draft stock.

Still, it only takes one team. If just one NBA front office exec takes a liking to Hamilton’s game and encourages him to go through the draft process, that’s usually all a player needs to hear to cement his decision to go pro.

That’s what Hamilton and his advisers will likely spend the next couple months sorting out. If he can drum up enough interest among NBA decision-makers, he’ll take his chances in the draft. If the overwhelming response from NBA people is that he doesn’t have a draftable grade and could use another season in college, it could open the door for a return to UNLV.

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