Jamir Watkins, presently ranked No. 59 on ESPN’s Prime 100, has established himself as one of many nation’s prime returning school gamers. After averaging 12.0 factors and seven.8 rebounds in his first season with Florida Sate after transferring from VCU, and Watkins was named All-ACC Honorable Point out.
Watkins is gearing up for his closing season at FSU, the place he has emerged because the crew chief. Final season, he confirmed he was rather more than a defender, he had 19 consecutive double-figure scoring video games, because the 6-foot-7 wing continues to show his versatility on each ends of the ground. After initially declaring for the NBA draft in April 2024 and coming into the switch portal in Could, Watkins determined to return to Florida State, as he seeks to enhance his sport additional with one other season underneath Head Coach Leonard Hamilton.
The Trenton, NJ native not too long ago sat down with HoopsHype to debate his choice to withdraw from the NBA draft, his improvement as a participant, and his expectations for the upcoming season.
Jamir Watkins: It was good suggestions. Undoubtedly what I used to be anticipating to get. It was nearly me maturing and my reads on the courtroom so far as ball screens and stuff, staying constant as a shooter and stuff like that. It was undoubtedly good suggestions, although.
JW: Simply me having a dialog with my household, my coach, and employees, folks in my internal circle simply serving to me out. I simply felt as if me coming again one other 12 months would put me in a method higher place, having the ability to mature extra, so far as on and off the courtroom in Boston. Capturing, being constant. Simply me taking one other 12 months out, going again into it, I really feel like I’ll have, I might need a bonus going again into it for subsequent 12 months.
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JW: I’ve all the time seen about Florida State and their model of play. I do know they’re large on large guards, and so they push their wings so far as being versatile. So me coming into it, I simply knew it could match me effectively, you understand, their model of play and Coach Hamilton, the best way he likes to play. So me coming over, it was only a no-brainer for me.
JW: I’d say passing, actually simply getting different guys going. I really feel just like the extra I get different guys going, it’s gonna come again to me.
JW: I believe I dangle my hat on simply taking part in protection, guarding the very best man. However one thing that’s gonna stand out this 12 months, actually my rebounding – simply getting stops, racking up stops, ending it with a defensive rebound.
JW: Yeah, he was behind me with it. So me coming again was like a no brainer for me.
JW: Simply to get a really feel for it, have all choices open. With the 12 months that we had, I simply wished to maintain all my choices open, even when I thought of coming again, which I did.
JW: I’d say my mother and father for positive. Simply seeing them work every single day type of motivated me, and it received me to the place I’m in now. I’d say my hometown as effectively, Trenton, simply the world we grew up in type of pushed me to be who I’m now, molding me into the person I’m in the present day.
JW: I’d say defensively, guys like Herb Jones, Jaden McDaniels, simply the 3-and-D guys that are available in, fill a task, guard the very best guys, and dangle their hat on protection.
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JW: I’d say final 12 months I did a bit bit, however now I actually don’t. It actually doesn’t matter as a result of I’ve seen guys that received drafted who had been nowhere on the boards or the place folks had them in mock drafts. That type of stuff actually doesn’t matter; it is dependent upon the work you set in.
JW: Oh, I really feel like so long as I work arduous and simply go as arduous as I can, I may put myself in any place I need to be in. So me simply taking part in my hardest, going on the market, giving it my all, ensuring my teammates know I received their again, I really feel like I might be a first-rounder, perhaps even get into the lottery.
JW: I’d say capturing guard, small ahead, swingman, yeah.
JW: Yeah, I prefer it. Having the ability to rebound and push is all the pieces. That’s what I believe the NBA is transitioning to.
JW: I simply assume it is dependent upon how a lot work you set in. You could be no matter you need to be. Me being a two-way man has been my journey. I was actually skinny, so being bodily didn’t work for me after I was youthful. Everybody was both stronger or smaller however may get beneath me, so I needed to learn to shoot. In highschool, I grew into my physique, received stronger, began taking pleasure in protection, and performed as an enormous man at instances. In school, I noticed everybody’s proficient and robust, so I needed to discover my method. That’s after I began doing the soiled work, getting additional possessions, diving on the ground for free balls. That’s how I performed at VCU, and it molded me into the two-way participant I’m now.
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JW: I don’t actually have a professional comparability. I depart that to the Web and different folks. I don’t evaluate myself to anybody.
JW: I wanna say Kobe, large Kobe man. Michael Jordan, LeBron, KD is my favourite participant, and I’m going with Shaq to comply with.
JW: My GOAT is KD. The way in which he play makes the sport look really easy, and it’s actually not. The way in which he makes it look is nowhere close to as straightforward as it’s. He’s so constant. He’s been doing the identical factor for thus lengthy. Capturing threes earlier than it was the factor to do. Each elbow jumper, each dribble – it’s like he’s figuring out through the sport. It’s so easy but additionally so exact.
