Why is Jordan Hawkins not playing more minutes for Pelicans? Exploring why rookie sensation is buried in Willie Green's rotations

Last offseason, the New Orleans Pelicans drafted Jordan Hawkins in the lottery for his elite-level outside shooting. Despite showing strong flashes when given the opportunity, his playing time this season remains inconsistent.

The big reason why Hawkins isn't seeing more time on the floor is because the Pelicans have one of the deeper rosters in the league. Willie Green has multiple players that need a good amount of minutes, leaving some on the outside of the rotation.

Jordan Hawkins got to play a lot early in the year, but that all changed when Trey Murphy III returned from injury. Now, there is a log jam at the guard and forward spots. A vast majority of the playing time goes to CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Brandon Ingram, and Murphy.

Defense is another factor that goes into Hawkin's minimal minutes. While he's capable of getting hot from three at any moment, he can be targeted on the other end of the floor. Because of this, Green often goes to Dyson Daniels off the bench.

Through the first few months of his rookie year, Hawkins is showing the potential to be a good shooter at the NBA level. He is currently shooting 37.9% from beyond the arc on just under six attempts per game.

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Jordan Hawkins shows why he should be playing more for New Orleans Pelicans

On Saturday night, Jordan Hawkins and other members of the New Orleans Pelicans found themselves with a rare opportunity. With Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum all out, a lot of minutes were up for grabs.

The rookie guard made the most of his chance to play big minutes, coming alive offensively against the Dallas Mavericks. He is a big reason why they were able to walk away with a win despite being so shorthanded.

In 36 minutes of action, Jordan Hawkins ended the night with 34 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals. He converted 11 of his 19 shot attempts, including going 6-for-12 from beyond the arc.

This outing marks a new career-high in points for the Pelicans rookie. Before tonight, the most he had scored in a game was 31 points. That came in early November against the Denver Nuggets. Similar to Saturday, he caught fire from beyond the arc and never looked back. Hawkins did make more threes in that game against Denver (7) than he did against the Mavericks this weekend (6).

Following such an impressive outing, Willie Green might have to go back to the drawing board again with his rotations. With the ability to score points in bunches like this, Hawkins can be a valuable piece off the bench for the Pelicans. He has certainly earned himself more time on the court moving forward.