An All-AAC member in 2021, Feron Hunt furthered his case to be drafted as a junior at SMU. On the year, Hunt averaged 11 PPG, 8 RPG, 0.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1 BPG, and 1.8 TOPG on shooting splits of 56/20/73. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: Feron Hunt
Height/Weight: 6’8 / 195
Wingspan/ standing reach: 7’0/ N/A
Hand size: N/A
Position: F
College/ country: SMU
Tools: Athleticism, cutting/finishing, defense
Pros:
- Elite explosiveness
- Good rebounder
- Versatile defensively
- Excellent finisher at the rim
- Strong cutter
- Hard to shoot over
- Able to mirror defenders on the perimeter
- Defensive disruptor that can put up defensive stats with ease
Cons:
- Needs to continue getting stronger and adding weight
- Should look to add some more advanced creation moves
- Must become more consistent as a shooter
- Gambles for blocks a bit too much
- Should look to add a pull-up shooting element to his game
- Needs to rack up more assists
Overall:
Feron Hunt is an all-world athlete with elite finishing ability at the rim, the ability to put the ball on the floor to get to the rim, defend multiple positions, and he has a growing jumper. Hunt has a strong argument to be the best athlete in the class not named Jalen Green, and he is excellent in using his elite athleticism in almost all facets of the game. As a finisher, Hunt possesses outstanding touch at the rim, along with an ability to finish above the rim and around defenders thanks to his length and athleticism. He also has a quick first step that he uses to blow by defenders to get to the rim, mostly in straight-line drives. The main improvement Hunt can make as a slasher is to get better at creating space for himself, which can be best addressed by furthering his handle with more creative moves.
Hunt recently revamped his jump shot after the season ended, mostly improving his off-hand and keeping it more fluid in the shot. This was often my previous biggest criticism of him, and he has already made significant strides in this area, which gives me confidence in him becoming a capable shooter.
Defensively, Hunt can guard multiple positions thanks to his combination of length and elite athleticism. He is difficult to shoot over on the perimeter, and he’s never out of the play due to his recovery ability. SMU didn’t have a strong team defense, so a swing skill for Hunt is having his team defense hitting, meaning rotations, off-ball defense, and defending the pick & roll; all areas that might be unknowns for him heading into the draft.
Hunt remains one of the best kept secrets in the draft, but could make a name for himself in summer league and earn himself a two-way contract. Hunt is a lock in my top 60 and has been active in pre-draft workouts as one of the best sleeper swings for the fences.
Similar to: DJ Wilson, Darius Bazley
Projected draft range: 40-undrafted
Expected role: Athletic forward with ball-skills and shooting
Unplayable if: Jump shooting doesn’t translate and ability to get to the rim doesn’t cleanly translate.
Exceeds expectations if: New jump shot form helps him become a consistent shooter and defense translates.
Shot chart:
