Getty Wisconsin Badgers forward Ethan Happ
Wisconsin Badgers forward Ethan Happ has put together an impressive collegiate career and picked up his fair share of accolades in the process. The senior forward who stands 6-foot-10 and weighs roughly 235-240 pounds has shown upside as a scorer and posted strong rebounding numbers throughout his career. In turn, the topic of his future at the next level has come up recently, and the 2019 NBA Draft outlook for Happ is interesting.
The 22-year-old was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2015-16 after redshirting the season prior. He’s also been a First-Team All-Big Ten player in each of the past two seasons and was on the All-Defensive team in 2016 and 2017. But even though Happ has posted strong numbers across the board throughout his career, some draft analysts don’t believe he’ll even be selected.
Happ has averaged 17.8 points, 10.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists through Wisconson’s first 29 games this season. He’s also shooting 53.8 percent from the field and has posted marks of 52.8 percent or better in each of his four years with the Badgers.
We’re going to take a look at the latest on projections and mock draft predictions for Happ in the 2019 NBA Draft. Beyond that, we’ll touch on a few of his biggest strengths and weaknesses as a player.
Ethan Happ NBA Draft Projections & Mock Drafts
There are quite a few mock drafts who left Happ out of the mix, but he has found his way onto a handful of big boards prior to the draft. As far as the mocks go, The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie pegged the Wisconsin star as a second-round selection. In that rundown, it projects the Charlotte Hornets to take Happ at No. 53 overall.
Vecenie’s big board pegs Happ with a grade outside of the top-60, pointing to the Hornets opting to take the chance on an established player with a strong college resume. The Athletic’s draft analyst has the forward listed as the No. 75 overall prospect, ahead of the likes of DePaul’s Paul Reed and Nevada’s Jordan Caroline.
Strengths & Weaknesses of Ethan Happ
A few key positives about Happ’s game include his ability as a passer and overall basketball IQ. He’s averaged 3.7 and 4.7 assists per game over the past two seasons while averaging better than 1.1 steals and blocks over that same stretch. Happ is a solid defender, but whether that transitions to the next level could be a big question mark.
On the weakness side, Happ’s athleticism will be a talking point and certainly a concern against top NBA talent. Beyond that, he’s made just 45.0 percent from the free throw line this year and 54.2 percent throughout his career. Happ has also consistently had a physical edge on the block, which may prove to be the case at the next level.
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