Draft Film School: Hall Monitor

Jordan Hall is a legit prospect to monitor moving forward. Currently not seen by most as a first rounder, but he could play himself into consideration with his unique combination of size & skill.

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Another Draft Film School piece focusing on playmaking with a ton of clips? You betcha. This time around the focus will be the 6’8”, 210 lbs point guard from St. Joe’s: Jordan Hall. Hall isn’t quite “wizard” status as a passer like Taran Armstrong, but he’s still extremely skilled and his combination of size and vision is rare. He tested the NBA Draft waters last year after a solid freshman season but ultimately decided to come back for his sophomore year which I ultimately think will help his draft stock. If he can show continued improvements and consistency to his scoring/shooting this season, then I can see him winding up being a first round pick. Through 10 games this season his 3P% is up to 38.2% on 6.8 attempts per game (was 35.1% on 4.7 attempts per game last season) which is a great start! Would still like to see some better numbers inside the arc (just 46.8%) given his size but he’s also made strides here compared to last season as well (was 41.1% in 2020-21).

Since coming into college, Hall has been the team’s primary initiator, which is a lot harder to be at the NBA level. I do not envision an NBA team handing the keys to the offense to Hall, but it is still valuable for him to show his ability with the ball in his hands and specifically within PNR given it’s such a commonly run playstyle in the NBA. I can easily see him being a solid secondary playmaker for a team at the next level. Today, we’ll take a deeper dive into his playmaking and show just how talented Hall is in PNR scenarios. Buckle up because I have over 50 passing clips for you to enjoy!

PNR Passes to Roll Man

Jordan Hall does a great job utilizing his size and manipulation skills within PNR. He is able to see over the defense which allows him to make quick decisions and have better angles on passes over the top. However, he also showcases the ability to show patience and advantage creation when things might not be there right away. Lastly, he is really underrated when it comes to manipulation with pass fakes or hesitations as well. This all comes up again with hitting spot up shooters as well. St. Joe’s scores 1.15 PPP (points per possession) when Jordan Hall passes to the roll man out of PNR this season, which ranks in the 69th Percentile, via Synergy. This is a very good number and one that matches the eye test. Above is over 4 minutes worth of clips for your viewing pleasure, but let’s breakdown a few specific examples below:

This first clip highlights the patience I mentioned earlier. The roll man delays his roll so Hall utilizes a hang dribble to match and holds the help to him. When his original defender comes for the double, he then places a perfect pass to the roll man when the helpside defender is off-balance. Easy dunk.

Here are two examples of him utilizing his size and quick decision making. There aren’t really good angles for the bounce passes to the roller so instead he sends perfectly weighted jump passes over the defenders. This is something that smaller guards might struggle with and get tipped. Tyrese Haliburton was well known for his jump passes coming out of Iowa State and Jordan Hall showcases this ability as well to create better passing angles/windows.

These three examples all highlight that manipulation ability that Hall has within PNR. The first clip he Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Collin Gillespie with the pass fake which leads to an easy dunk off a bounce pass. The second clip he holds the ball above his head for a second before rifling a bounce pass between 4 defenders to the “open” roll man. The last clip (which is my favorite), he again fakes like he’s going to hit an overhead pass but instead hits a nice bounce pass to the roller through 4 defenders, again.

PNR Passes to Spot Up

Did you enjoy the over 4 minutes of Jordan Hall hitting the roll man? Of course you did. So here is over 3 minutes of him hitting spot ups out of PNR. St. Joes’ scores 0.875 PPP (points per possession) when Jordan Hall does this, which ranks in the 47th Percentile, via Synergy. This is just an average number but one that is mainly due to the team shooting just 34.5% on these possessions. Looking back on last season's numbers, those figures were 0.829PPP (39th Percentile = Average) and the team shot just 28.6% on these possessions. The tape tells a better story as time and time again he makes the smart play and has the ability to draw multiple defenders even when things break down and hit the open man. Let’s take a look at a few specific examples below:

This isn’t anything earth shattering but just a solid play to draw multiple defenders to him after rejecting the screen. He then whips the cross court skip pass that creates an open look from the corner. Oh, and he does a nice job with the putback layup here as well.

Again, just a smart play getting downhill immediately, notices 4 defenders in the paint and is able to identify and pass to the open man in the corner.

This is another one of my favorites from Hall showcasing the manipulation ability. The roll man is open at first but is covered up quickly by the help side defender so instead of forcing it inside, Hall fakes to the roller and hits the open skip. Scoot Henderson had a similar play earlier this season for Ignite which was equally impressive.

In this last clip, Hall has zero advantage after the screen is set but that doesn’t stop him. He is still able to go through his man and make his way into the paint which creates a help situation that shifts the defense. Once the weak side defender rotates down, he hits the spot up shooter for the widest of open 3 point attempts you’ll ever see.

Bonus Passes to Cutters:

It wouldn’t be a Draft Film School piece without some bonus passing clips so here is some of Jordan Hall hitting cutters out of PNR. So far I have covered how Hall creates and finds open looks for teammates, but he also makes sure to reward them when they get themselves open with smart cuts.