Could Hickey be ready for NBA stage?

The rise of Will Hickey has been one of the best stories of the past two seasons, and fresh off the first triple-double of his career, the NBA dream might not be too far away.

When asked whether he had a chance of being the next NBL player to make the leap, Pete Hooley didn’t hesitate.

“Absolutely,” he said.

The 26-year-old is playing career-best basketball and was rewarded for his outstanding Championship Series last season with an NBA Summer League opportunity with the Chicago Bulls.

“He’s a triple-double threat every night. The size he has, the self-belief … the one thing I think he needs to keep working on is his outside shot. But he’s showing that he will continue to step up and knock it down,” Hooley added.

“The poise he plays with … he defends as well. There is absolutely an NBA chance.”

NBL legend Lanard Copeland knows what it takes to make it to the NBA, and he doubled down on how Hickey’s self-belief can take him to the next level.

“When you have a head coach that wins a championship and says, ‘he’s my man', that’ll give you all types of confidence.”

The Hawks’ leading man is in the sixth season of his career, but it’s his rapid growth that has raised eyebrows around the league.

“You look at how dominant he can be … with where he’s at in his career, with so long to go. I think he’s got a massive chance,” Hooley noted.

“He was there at this year’s Summer League, so if he gets more of a chance there, then a two-way deal is definitely not out of the question if he continues on this trajectory.”