One season after a thrilling playoff run that put the franchise back on the map, the Hawks are again stacked with young talent and looking to make noise in the postseason.
They return their top nine scorers from last season and have Nate McMillan, who led them to a 27-11 record and the Eastern Conference finals as interim head coach, back in charge, but without the interim status. While it’s abundantly clear that Trae Young, John Collins and Clint Capela are vital pieces for the Hawks, here are three more players to watch who could make a difference this season:
De’Andre Hunter
With his size and versatility, Hunter could give the Hawks a boost in several key areas – he can score, create his own shot and defend at a high level, and he showed progress with his passing this preseason. The question for Hunter will be his availability, as it looked as if he was headed for a breakout in just his second NBA season before knee injuries derailed it. Battling soreness and swelling in his right knee beginning in January, he played in only 23 regular-season games and missed the Eastern Conference semifinals and finals, ultimately undergoing season-ending meniscus surgery.
If Hunter can stay healthy, he’s exactly what the Hawks need, particularly his ability to give Capela a hand on defense in the starting lineup and score at all three levels.
Cam Reddish
McMillan summed it up well in the preseason: on defense, everyone knows the long, athletic wing’s ability, but he’s got to find out who Reddish is on offense. That’s why Reddish has had the ball in his hands more this preseason. Heading into Year 3, Reddish has proved himself as a good defender, but his shooting still leaves much to be desired.
Last season, Reddish shot 36.5% from the field and 26.2% from 3-point range, missing significant time while struggling with right Achilles soreness. He came back in the conference finals against the Bucks and ended up hitting six 3′s in Game 6, leading the comeback attempt. He caught fire in the second half of the exhibition loss to the Cavaliers on Oct. 6, adding five steals, again showing the pieces are there. Can he put them all together, take good shots and establish consistency? Several players blossomed once McMillan took over last season; will the same happen for Reddish this one? That’s something to keep an eye on.
Delon Wright
If you’ve watched the Hawks the past few years, it’s easy to notice the team often struggles when Young goes to the bench, taking his stellar passing with him. They haven’t found a reliable answer at backup point guard (last season, after trading away Rajon Rondo, the Hawks began staggering Young and Bogdan Bogdanovic in the first-round playoff series vs. the Knicks to keep the playmaking and shooting flowing). Lou Williams provided a scoring boost and came off the bench to win them a few games last season, and wing Kevin Huerter is a good passer on the second unit, but they still need a ballhandler off the bench, and hopefully one who can defend, too.
Enter Wright, a good defender who can play both on and off the ball, who averaged 10.2 points (37.2% from 3-point range, 80.2% FT), 4.4 assists and 1.6 steals in 27.7 minutes per game with Detroit and Sacramento last season. The Hawks like Wright’s size (6-foot-5) and versatility, and he figures to fit in well on the second unit, which could help the team sustain leads in Young’s absence better.
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