Daniel Hamilton (Los Angeles/St. John Bosco) is one of the nation's best scoring guards, but at times, he can be a volume scorer and not a productive scorer. The Connecticut commit is ranked as the No. 2 player in the West behind Stanley Johnson (Fullerton, Calif./Mater Dei) and the No. 31 prospect in the ESPN 100.
Let's take an in-depth look at what this shooting guard does well and what he need to work on:
Shooting ability
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UConn commit Daniel Hamilton, who is ranked as the No. 9 shooting guard in the country, must work on his shot selection and ball movement.
Hamilton possesses a long frame, speed and quickness and has big-time scoring ability. Although he's streaky from 3-point range, he still has impressive range and accuracy. Shooting off the dribble is a natural occurrence for Hamilton. Watch him attack a defender or an open pocket of space on the floor and utilize a quick pull-up jumper. When he cuts hard off a screen, he can be extremely difficult to defend. With time and space, he can hurt any defense with his jumper.
One of the ways Hamilton can improve is by changing his shot selection. To know when to shoot is as important as knowing how to shoot, both in the half court and in transition. There are many parts to like about his jumper, such as how he elevates and his high release at the apex on his shot.
A natural scorer
Simply put, Hamilton has the instincts to score at any time. He can create space for himself and always will get a look at the basket, which makes him a threat. The ability to make a contested shot is both a positive and a negative. Making a guarded shot when the shot clock or game clock is winding down is a great thing, but to take a contested jumper without exploring other options hurts a team. What Hamilton must learn, however, is to score more inside the flow of the offense while not solely looking for his shot.
When the ball reaches his hands, the flow of the possession stops too much and that's not good for an offense to find its rhythm. He must continue to find the balance of working to get open and knowing when he is open while keeping the ball moving, looking to hit a cutter or throwing it into the post.
Playing the game with vision is going to be an important part of his growth during his future at Connecticut.
My plan for him
I would like to see Hamilton become a more focused and committed defender. When he goes to play for Huskies coach Kevin Ollie, he will have to change his habits. Individual and team defense is the only way to win at that level because there is not enough talent on any one team to be successful merely by scoring more points than your opponent. He needs to become dedicated to a weight-training program so he can handle contact when attacking the basket. That helps him in all aspects of defending.
To grow and improve, he must continue to work on his skills, especially ball-handling to create separation from his defender.
One of the best ways for Hamilton to learn about his game is to watch film with a coach. It's important to see what he does well and what he should have done better to help him grow as a player. To see his lack of movement off the ball vs. what the best shooters in the game do will help him immeasurably. Examples of this would be to watch Ray Allen or Reggie Miller as they do all their work before they catch the ball by setting their man up for a score.
Hamilton has the luxury and good fortune of having two older brothers who practice and play the game at the highest level. Jordan is in the NBA and Isaac is now at UCLA. They can be a tremendous resource for him in the offseason.
The talent is there for Hamilton to be a big-time scorer, but the game is played best when the energy is high and the basketball IQ is developed, which is something he and thousands of other young basketball players need to learn.
