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:
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.
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.
Offense
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.
Defense
Pick-and-roll
Hicks is an accomplished pick-and-roll defender who combines toughness and aggressiveness with challenging ball handlers early by going over screens actively. That makes him a well-sought additional piece to help a team maintain its defensive rating while more franchises try to lessen the amount of drop coverage schemes they run. Hicks’ long arms and quick hands make him a constant threat to bother ball handlers. As a senior, he’s averaging a career-high 1.4 steals per game as a result.
In the first play below, Hicks’ awareness of incoming ball screens led him to pivot strongly before colliding and losing his balance. Hereafter, he could complete his focus on the ball handler despite the opponent trying to ice him out of the play to attack the wide-open driving lane on the weak side. Despite the called foul, his aggressiveness and footwork to keep the taller scorer in front of him should be a positive for NBA scouts. In the second possession, Hicks’ slight drop of coverage puts him in a better position to force ball handlers to beat him off the dribble. His quick feet, combined with decent footwork, help him to keep his balance at all times, and he’s keen on using his strong upper body to leverage his physicality and size, with a tougher shot off the dribble as a result.
This continues in the third play below, where Hicks hunts the ball handler by forcing the switch with an aggressive tag and push-off against the opposing five. Hereafter, he saw that the ball handler was going to pick up his dribble, which made it a good decision for him to bet on reaching for the deflection to eventually poke the ball away for a potential transition play. His versatility, quick hands, and feet, on top of the aggressive nature of his pick-and-roll defense, will make it feasible for NBA coaches will throw him into their schemes to defend in the pick-and-roll. The extra added value is Hicks averaging less than two fouls per game while playing close to thirty minutes per contest over the span of his four-year career.
Catch-and-shoot
Hicks’ rotations are his strong suit to effectively defend against spot-up shooters in the NBA. However, he’s often making unnecessary motions that put him too far in the paint or too close to the perimeter. Regardless, his excellent positional size allows him to switch and rotate in the frontcourt while he recognizes plays and knows when it’s time to close out to the perimeter. He’s consistent in timing his closeouts. However, positioning-wise, he still has some areas to clean up.
In the first play below, Hicks does well to tag his assignment to where he eventually has one foot inside the paint. Recognizing the ball handler picking up his dribble, he shows his fluid hips and rotates swiftly to the upper corner to cleanly contest the jumper off the catch. Despite the make, that’s a good defensive play. However, the positioning in the second play looked off. He recognized the kick-out pass to the elbow but positioned himself out of the paint, whereafter the spin move didn’t put him in a position to cleanly contest the shooter at 180 degrees. Instead, we saw a shot contest from the side, which made the use of his size less effective.
The third possession is an interesting one. Hicks does well to keep his assignment in the paint under control, but the lack of rotations around him forces him to drop the interior assignment and rush himself to the perimeter. Despite being a second too late, Hicks’ size and length bothered the shooter, air-balling it in the process. Regardless, working on improving his already good rotations will make it more feasible Hicks can help a team’s defensive rating by not allowing open three-pointers to his assignments in the NBA.
Catch-and-drive
When defending against closeout attackers, Hicks’ main area of development is his last step. He’s often not pivoting well, which leads to him losing his balance and getting blown by his opponents. The second and third plays below show two examples. Regardless, positioning-wise, he’s making the right decisions while focusing on closing out at 180 degrees of his assignment. That’s a good sign, but to effectively generate stops in the NBA, Hicks has to focus on improving his last step.
In the first play below, Hicks’ stance and aggressiveness lead to him using tags to generate advantages. By tagging, Hicks forces ball handlers to beat him both physically and with their creativity. His focus on bothering the ball handler made it easier for the interior defense to collapse on the scorer and thus generate the stop. Another area for Hicks to continue to improve on is the use of his upper body when opponents get two feet inside the paint. In the fourth play below, the transition opportunity leads to Hicks staying by his assignment well, but the pivot on the last step could have put him in a better position to contest the finish after the opponent’s jump stop.
Regardless, Hicks’ last step puts pressure on a team’s defensive rating. He’s often caught being the reason for his team’s defense to collapse. The fifth play below shows another example. The positive in his profile is that the last step improving changes the dynamic, where Hicks can scale up his role as a defender by also embracing the point of attack. His active hands and quick feet are two weapons for NBA teams to continue to invest in.
Cuts
Hicks’ instincts as a help-side rim protector are another weapon to help him improve a team’s defensive rating in the NBA. His excellent rotations are his main weapon to generate winning plays and stop at the basket. Despite lacking a few inches to play as a true five, Hicks can compensate for it by embracing that role in a smaller, shooting-heavy lineup. Regardless, he should get enough runway to play as a help-side defender as the team’s four at the next level.
In the first play below, Hicks recognizes the defense collapsing after dribble penetration. He does well by taking one step ahead and using his length to bother the lob pass toward the rim. Despite the opponent getting an open look, his presence and shrinking the passing angle helped effectively leading it to a less accurate pass. His success continues in the second play below, where Hicks keeps his composure after his team crowds the paint and traps the opponent. A vital detail here is Hicks continuing to keep an eye to his left to see how the play-finisher positioned himself. This led him to be in full control and eventually deflect the passing attempt.
The third possession is a pure masterclass. Hicks’ aggressive tagging kept him from getting backdoored. Hereafter, he rotates to maintain on the weak side as the interior defender, who rotated to the roll man who got hit with the pass after the screen. He did well by closing the driving lane, knowing the opponent would make the dump-off pass to the play-finisher in the paint. However, his fluid hips and good timing led him to effectively get the stop as his positioning here was key. Therefore, the positioning makes it feasible for Hicks to continue to improve it in the next few years.
NBA Draft Projection
Based on the strengths and areas of development mentioned in this scouting report, I project Zach Hicks to earn himself a two-way contract after being an undrafted free agent in the 2025 NBA Draft. His combination of high-end shooting prowess, excellent positional size, and physicality with enough defensive value give him a role to continue to develop into a certain niche.
However, offensively, the lack of creativity combined with his habit of preferring the shot over everything makes it hard to scale his game up. Therefore, teams won’t trust the long-term potential despite it being a clear indicator. Regardless, an NBA franchise will get excellent value off of Hicks’ draft status, as he can continue to develop his offense in the G League. While entering the league as a 22-year-old, Hicks’ experience in college gives him insurance to grow fastly into a role while he still has his best years to come.