The 2024-25 NBA season has just begun, but a former UConn Huskies national champion is already looking like an early favorite for Sixth Man of the Year.

The New Orleans Pelicans got their campaign off to a 1-0 start on Wednesday night with a victory over the Chicago Bulls.

No Pelicans player was more effective off the bench than former UConn shooting guard Jordan Hawkins.

The 22-year-old second-year pro scored a bench-high 13 points for New Orleans in 28 minutes (also a bench-high). Hawkins was 3-for-6 from three and 4-for-9 from the field overall. He added seven rebounds and a highlight-reel block on a shot from Bulls star Zach LaVine.

It’s this kind of efficiency and impact from Hawkins that convinced the Pelicans to recently pick up the team option on the third year of his contract.

Hawkins had an impressive preseason for New Orleans, and it appears that his improvement is carrying over to the regular season.

Perhaps the only thing preventing Hawkins from entering the Sixth Man race this year will be if the Pelicans decide to move him into the starting lineup, which is becoming a distinct possibility.

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