After finishing last season on a confident note, Hawks wing Vit Krejci has ridden that wave into training camp. Heading into his fourth season in the league, he looks to channel that confidence into an impactful season for the team.
During the offseason, the Hawks signed Krejci to a four-year deal with a club option in the final year. Though the Hawks could have signed Krejci to a deal earlier in the year and make him eligible for postseason play, they opted to hold off.
They wanted to have a little more flexibility that would allow them to have Krejci under a deal through 2028 instead of 2027.
Knowing that the Hawks envision him on the roster gave Krejci a different outlook for his offseason than the year before. In the summer of 2023, the 24-year-old sat in a much different position, on the bubble and looking to compete for a guaranteed contract.
The Hawks eventually waived him on Aug. 16 because they locked up several veteran players on standard deals that left Krejci on the outside. They eventually brought Krejci back on a two-way contract and he played an important role toward the end of the regular season.
“It was very difficult, but on the other side, I was feeling pretty confident that I had a lot of positive feedback,” Krejci told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “So honestly, this summer, it was kind of the first free agency for me, I guess, but I felt confident about it. I remember last year, last summer, you know, where when I didn’t play, when I was here and I got waived in the summer, it was a different situation, because I didn’t play. I wasn’t even sure if I’m gonna get a contract. So there was a lot more stressful situation than this summer, for sure.”
With his own self-assurance and the confidence of his teammates, the coaching staff and the front office, Krejci has looked to attack this training camp. He’s looked to make the most of it as he fights for minutes in the team’s rotation.
People have noticed.
“Vit has been awesome,” Hawks big man Larry Nance Jr. said on Thursday. “Honestly, I didn’t know much about Vit before I got here, the dude can really play. He passes. He dribbles. He can shoot it. He’s shooting the heck out of it. And he defends. He’s a true 6-7, 6-8. Vit’s been super impressive.”
Following Friday’s practice, Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic named Krejci among the players who have made the most positive impact in training camp, so far.
Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter echoed similar sentiments after practice on Sunday.
“He’s just playing really confident,” Hunter said. “You could tell he’s putting a lot of work on his body, his game as a whole. So Vit’s in here every day early, getting his working early, staying after so glad he’s getting to show it.”
Over the summer, Krejci remained in Atlanta for weeks to work on his shooting with Hawks assistant general manager Kyle Korver. They initially focused on his shot mechanics then he just kept taking more and more reps as the summer progressed.
He’s also worked to expand his game as the Hawks look to play the pass as they look to play with more pace. The Hawks will look to take advantage of his playmaking ability after 11% the team’s made field goals came from his assists last season. The coaches have looked for him to play with the ball in his hands more and he worked on his skills as a facilitator this offseason.
“Obviously, I want to contribute more and more, but also at the same time, I want to keep it the same, same way, you know, keep it simple,” Krejci said. “I know why I’m here. I know why they signed me in the summer. I know what they want for me, and that’s just guard, shoot the ball and play fast, play simple, make the right play.”
The Hawks have looked to remain flexible as they think about the types of combinations they may run throughout the season. With Krejci’s length and size and ability to shift up and down lineups, he gives them some versatility.
It gives the Hawks coach Quin Snyder and his staff a good problem to have.
“I think, you know, we’ve got a number of guys that are going to deserve to play, that don’t attempt, and I’m not suggesting that that’s Vit,” Snyder said. “It can be anybody in a given situation, and that’s kind of where our roster is right now. And that’ll be hard, hard for me and harder for the players because you don’t always know. You just do the best you can.
“But I think over time, those things work themselves out. That’s been my experience, and I think it’s everybody’s experience as a coach. But that’s hard for players at times, and what you have to do is exactly what Vit’s doing, is you just take advantage of every practice, every possession. And he’s someone that’s shown his ability to impact the game in a variety of ways.”
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