2008 Draft: Q&A With J.J. Hickson

In preparation for the NBA Draft on June 26, the Suns began individual pre-draft workouts at their practice facility this past week. One of the prospects that the Suns brought in to take a closer look at was forward J.J. Hickson from NC State. Hickson, who led all ACC freshman in scoring, rebounding and double-doubles, talked with the media after finishing his workout for the Suns front office.

Hickson: I feel that it went well. I came out here, worked hard and had a good showing.

Question: Was there anything in particular that you were trying to prove out there today?

Hickson: Not trying to prove anything, just trying to come out here and play hard, be competitive and be first in everything.

Question: Are you just testing the waters or are you definitely in the draft?

Hickson: I would say that I’m definitely in the draft. I came out just testing the waters but since I’m hearing a lot of good things about my game I’m not going to pull my name out.

Question: What are you hearing that leads you to believe that it is a good move to stay in the draft?

Hickson: I’m not really hearing anything, but I think I’ve given a bunch of good showings. I’m coming in here and I'm trying to impress the scouts and that’s why I think I’m going to keep my name in. I think I’m having good showings.

Question: Are you NBA-ready as far as you are concerned?

Hickson: Yeah, I think so.

Question: Are you suprising yourself a little bit?

Hickson: I’m not really surprising myself. I know what I am capable of doing.

Question: How would you describe your game for basketball fans who haven’t really had a chance to see you play?

Hickson: I’m an energy guy. I believe that I could help a lot of teams with my energy and by being a positive influence on my teammates.

Question: How many workouts have you had so far and do you happen to have any more planned?

Hickson: This is my fourth one and I have Denver and Philadelphia coming up. I am going to Denver next and I’ve already been to Sacramento, Seattle and Cleveland.

Question: Are you starting to see some of the same faces at the workouts or have you played against a bunch of different faces?

Hickson: They have been mixing it up. I haven’t seen the same face twice yet.

Question: Have the workouts been pretty similar or different?

Hickson: They are kind of similar but they are different at the same time. They may add a little twist to the workouts in that one may have a little bit more running or shooting, but they are pretty similar.

Question: Did you imagine a year ago that you would be in this position?

Hickson: The NBA has been my goal all along. My goal has been to be an NBA All-Star and to be a major impact, so yes, I did imagine myself in this position.

Question: So what are your feelings on the Suns after watching them over the last couple of years?

Hickson: I think the Suns are a great team. I don’t see why they can’t win a championship. I feel like I’d be a great piece to the puzzle here and that I’d be a great compliment to the other big guys.

Question: Is there a player in the league that you have patterned you game after?

Hickson: Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and Amaré Stoudemire. They are the main three players. I just try to take something from each one of them and put it in my game.

Question: What’s something from Amaré?

Hickson: I’ve just taken the fight, heart, competitiveness that he plays with and put it into my game.

Question: Do you feel that there are parts of your game that you need to display out here to improve your draft status?

Hickson: I think scouts watch enough film to know what you do best so I try not to change my game too much. I just do what I do best.

Question: Do the scouts ask you about something in particular or wonder about something specific?

Hickson: No, not really.

Question: No holes, huh?

Hickson: (laughs) No.

Question: How does it feel to just be three weeks away from the draft?

Hickson: It’s taking forever to get here. I’ve been counting down since May. I just can’t wait for it to get here.

Question: What’s that night going to be like for you?

Hickson: It will probably be emotional. And it will be exciting.

Question: Do you have any special plans for that night? Do you plan on being somewhere specific for it?

Hickson: I don’t have any special plans as of yet. But I’ll find a place where we can all watch it at and I'll have all of my family there.

Question: At what point in your playing career did you realize that you might have what it takes to be an NBA player?

Hickson: Probably around 10th grade, which is right around the time I started taking basketball serious. I always took it serious, but as far as working on my game real seriously, it was probably around 10th grade.

Question: What was it at that point in your life that motivated you and made you work harder?

Hickson: I couldn’t really tell you. It just seemed as if a switch went off and I started taking the game real serious. I just started devoting all of my time to basketball.