The Hawks trade up to take De’Andre Hunter
After facilitating a cap-clearing move by the Nets, the Atlanta Hawks went into this draft with a bevy of first-round picks – No. 8, 10 and 17, to be exact. But about an hour before the draft, they used some of those assets to trade up to No. 4.
It became clear soon after the trade was completed that they had eyes on Virginia forward De’Andre Hunter, and he should prove to be a great addition to their already well-constructed young core.
Throughout their short rebuild, the Hawks have been laser focused on offensive difference-makers, with little regard for the other side of the ball. That’s a fine team-building philosophy in the early stages, especially since their lottery pick last year, Trae Young, has rewarded it by showing that he has the ability to be an elite playmaker and a three-point savant.
But Young was last in the NBA among all point guards in ESPN’s Defensive Real Plus-Minus metric last season. While defensive metrics don’t often tell the whole story of a player’s defensive ability or impact, you’d like to see him at least place in the middle of the pack, especially since his backcourt mate, Kevin Huerter, isn’t much of a defender either.
That’s where Hunter fits into this picture. He should slide in next to Young and Huerter in the starting lineup immediately, and will likely be asked to take on the opposing team’s toughest assignment every night. In Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome, Hunter has already played with two offensively minded guards who often looked to him to stop the best player on the other side of the court.
Hunter should be able to pick up the slack for Young and Huerter on the defensive end, just as he did this past season at Virginia while feasting on the 3-point looks Young can open up on the other end.