Oda did go out of his way to set up this little plot device at the beginning of Wano:
Hawkins never got to use it because it's very likely being saved for a future conflict.
Hawkins can make his allies hurt themselves, I wouldn't surprise me if he can give them buffs too.
Hawkins could play a good support role in the battle against Kaido. He can support his allies through the mysterious abilities of Straw Man's card game. He can act like a sponge to distract and soak up hits from Kaido then redirect the damage to other Beast Pirates. I think Oda has plans for Hawkins, but he'll only act when the cards tell him the outlook is decent.