Nets nab Adams

It was a longer wait than Hassan Adams was hoping for. The Wildcat senior wing was seen as a player who could sneak into the late first round but it in the end he had to wait until the end of the second round to hear his name called.

Although Adams was billed as one of the most athletic players in the draft, there were enough question marks that he slid to the late second round. New Jersey made him the 54th selection in the draft, their third pick on the evening.

“He doesn’t really have a position,” analyst Jay Bilas said on the ESPN broadcast of the Draft. “He’s a tweener but he can play in the NBA.”

At 6-4 Adams has the height of a two guard but he does not have the handle or the shot to play that position. His strength and ability to score around the rim made him a great college forward but he’ll be giving up a lot of height at the next level.

The lack of a true position was not the only knock against Adams. He had three run-ins with police during his senior year, including a DUI citation. Although all three incidents were misdeanors, the three transgressions had to have an impact on his draft status.

Although Adams had some positive workouts with NBA teams, he also suffered a stress fracture that has kept him out of action the past few weeks. Although the problem will not affect his status for the preseason, it did eliminate any last chance to impress NBA teams with late workouts.

The news wasn’t all bad for Adams. Adams impressed with his athleticism and the potential to be a lock-down defender. He has the ability to be a solid rebounder and will work well in the New Jersey system which never shies away from the fast break.

“Exceptional leaping ability and natural aggressiveness allow him to play much bigger than his listed height.,” said the scouring report on NBA.com “Excellent rebounder from the backcourt and wing. Gives good effort defensively.”

Adams joins fellow Wildcat Richard Jefferson in New Jersey. He becomes the ninth Wildcat drafted since 2000.

Adams led the Pac-10 with 2.6 steals a game and was third in scoring with 17.5 ppg. For his career Adams started 100 games averaging 14 points a game.

Adams was the lone Wildcat drafted. Fellow senior Chris Rodgers went undrafted, while junior Mustafa Shakur pulled his name out prior to the deadline. Freshman Marcus Williams explored his draft options but opted not to test the waters.