Jaylen

Hands

Hands, the 56th overall pick in the 2019 draft, played in Serbia last season and averaged 8.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks through 12 games. He played for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2021 NBA Summer League.

Brooklyn selected Hands with the 56th overall pick in the 2019 draft. He averaged 14.2 points, 6.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 2.0 three-pointers per game at UCLA last season. However, the Nets already have 15 players on guaranteed deals s and have filled both of their two-way contracts; thus, Hands had to settle for a G League spot. He’s not on the fantasy radar.

Hands led the PAC-12 in assists last season, and led his team in steals. He’s turnover-prone and there are questions about his ability to defend at the NBA level, though, so there’s a reason he wasn’t taken until No. 56. Expect to see plenty of him at G League games.

While the new NCAA rules allow players that hire an agent to return to school provided they not accept any money during the process, Hands (6'3/180) said in his announcement that he fully intends to stay in the draft. The sophomore point guard, who went through the pre-draft process last spring before returning to UCLA, averaged 14.2 points, 6.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 2.0 three-pointers per game with shooting splits of 41.3/37.3/78.0. Due to his quickness and athleticism off of the dribble, Hands is a player who could potentially benefit from the spacing at the pro level when it comes to his overall shot selection and accuracy. He isn’t projected to be drafted at this point in time, so his pre-draft workouts will be of even greater importance than if he were viewed as a lock to be picked at some point.