Zach Hicks Scouting Report

Wing-sized shot-makers who play efficiently with fewer ball touches fit tremendously next to usage-heavy scorers. Zach Hicks fits the bill perfectly. But there's much more to be excited about:

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Introduction

After two years at Temple, Hicks earned a reputation as one of the best shooters at the mid-major level. This earned him a transfer to Penn State, where he committed to Coach Rhoades and his staff to continue to thrive in his role at the Big Ten level. The opportunity to play and familiarity with his role helped him make good career decisions, with the value of playing closer to home.

The New Jersey-born’s combination of effectively defending multiple positions whereas using his shot gravity to make the most of his jumper and ball-moving, Hicks’ profile is easy to put into a box that’ll intrigue all thirty NBA franchises. That’s the emphasis of this scouting report.

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Physical Profile

At 6-foot-8, Hicks is a long, wiry athlete with a strong build and broad shoulders. He has a well-filled frame but enough room to continue to add muscle to his body. With his quick feet, Hicks’ improving footwork continues to lead to a better defensive performance. With ideal wing size, Hicks can defend against wings, taller guards, and some forwards depending on the lineup.

On top of that, he’s a good athlete. His core strength adds value to his fluid hips. Vertically, Hicks is average at best. More importantly, he’s best at closing angles with his long wingspan. No official measurement is available, but it should be around 7 feet. On both ends, playing with good lateral quickness adds efficiency at the rim while he’s effectively defending against multiple positions from a closeout standpoint. Hicks fits the physical mold of a tall wing which many NBA teams try to add to the depth of their roster.

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Zach Hicks (#24) in action for Penn State, via Penn State Athletics

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Offense

Zach Hicks’ shot chart as of 23 February 2025, via CBBAnalytics.com

Catch-and-drive

The shot-making is a given. However, to fully optimize his gravity, Hicks has to show he can make plays out of closeouts. As the graph above shows, Hicks is efficient when he’s getting downhill. But he’s hesitant in attacking closeouts, as he’s settling for tough pull-up jumpers instead. It’s a testimony to how much he’s confident with his shot and loves the jumper, but at times, the other side of the coin leads to a lack of true rim pressure with him on the floor. For an NBA team’s offensive rating, it’s a positive but without many counters for games where these shots aren’t falling.

In the first play below, Hicks’ shot fake completely opens the baseline on the weak side, with the five screening out potential help from underneath the basket. The best decision would have been to attack the rim at will rather than giving the defense to correct and contest his one-dribble pull-up instead. However, in the second possession below, Hicks brings the ball to the basket aggressively after again creating separation with the shot-fake, whereafter he uses his upper-body strength to get through contact before the soft-touch finish.

Hicks’ ability to leverage the threat of his jumper to fake out opponents is a vital part of the advantage creation he’ll carry to the NBA. Therefore, his lack of attacking closeouts could be considered a strength despite fewer attempts at the rim when looking at his shot profile via the chart above. At the same time, NBA teams try and continue to increase their three-point attempts per game. Therefore, I expect an NBA scout to evaluate Hicks’ one-dribble pull-up as a strength, with the third and fourth play both showing an example.

Catch-and-shoot

While shooting over 40% on more than six attempts per game, Hicks meets a vital threshold of efficiency and high volume. When diving further into his jumper, the fluidity, quick feet, and consistency of his shooting form make it feasible that he will continue to be an above-average shooter at the NBA level. Hicks is quick to set his feet and developed a niche skill where his footwork doesn’t reveal if he’ll pull up or fake opponents out to make another decision out of the advantages that he creates.

In the first play below, Hicks’ quick release while he’s already bringing to ball down to his waist speaks to the execution. In a faster-paced NBA game with quicker closeouts, that’s the type of shot process that’ll give coaches the confidence to facilitate Hicks’ shooting needs. However, an area of development for Hicks is to consider keeping the ball high after the catch when he’s guarded tightly, with the second possession below as an example as the shot clock went to zero.

Regardless, the consistency of continuing to add to his shot process throughout the years has led to Hicks being a lethal wide-open shooter, with the fourth and fifth plays below as an example. Despite the lack of untapped potential overall in his profile, Hicks is one of the few prospects who can fully bet on carving out a niche role with his shooting gravity as the main ingredient.

Hand-offs

To ensure Hicks’ shot attempts on the floor, teams will use his shot prowess by forcing him to make plays out of handoffs. The lack of true rim pressure makes it easier for opponents to guard Hicks. Therefore, he’s forced to show some creativity out of handoffs. However, that’s a challenge in the short term. The habit of shooting, even with clear driving lanes available, makes it a process of changing his shot profile. But it has to happen to keep full leverage on his perimeter jumpers.

In the first play below, Hicks does well to pivot out strongly with his left to fully bank on the straight-line driving lane. However, despite being wide-open at the rim, the hesitancy to put the ball up before the fake shows how the level of confidence shifts when he’s not shooting. This continues in the second play below, where Hicks looks to force the unbalanced shot rather than trying to get through the defender and attack the wide-open interior while coming off the handoff.

In the third play below, we see another wide-open driving angle at the elbow. Hereafter, Hicks prefers the shot immediately off the handoff. His aggressiveness and confidence to let it fly speak to his shot-making. However, the lack of willingness and creativity to attack the rim makes it challenging for NBA coaches to fully bank on his top-tier shooting ability.

Ball-moving, passing and playmaking

At 155 assists to 102 turnovers over the span of his four-year career, Hicks’ numbers show a good sign of his decision-making as both a ball-mover and a passer. Hicks isn’t known for making high-level reads while putting the ball on the deck. Regardless, he’ll be a useful ball-mover while adding extra playmaking to a team’s lineup.

His main weapon is his composure and trusting his length and size to see over defenders. In the first play below, the angle to attack the rim closes. Hereafter, Hicks had to pick up his dribble and make the extra pass. However, he didn’t want to lazily make a bailout pass back to the perimeter. By keeping in post-up mode, he’s automatically forcing defenders to make decisions that open up the angle for the play-finisher at the rim while showing smooth hip flexibility before executing his passing read.

In the second play, Hicks’ decision to shoot-fake to draw defenders before the extra pass was a good decision, as it led to an extra level of openness for his teammate. Those are the habits NBA scouts look for to evaluate how well a prospect can scale up from a ball-mover’s role in the future, with a similar outcome in the fourth play below. For the NBA, Hicks shows consistency. The most vital part to make his passing feasible is the great 9.3% turnover rate over a four-year sample size, giving an indicator of how well he takes care of the ball.

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Defense

Pick-and-roll