Atlanta Hawks Player Preview: Kyle Korver

Age: 34

Height: 6’7

Entering 13th NBA Season

College: Creighton

Kyle Korver #26 2014-2015 Statistics

12.1 points per game
3.9 rebounds per game
2.6 assists per game
48.7 percent field goal percentage
49.2 percent three-point percentage
89.8 free-throw percentage
32.2 minutes per game

2014-2015 Season Recap:

Last season, Kyle Korver proved that he was the flagship of the fleet when it comes to elite shooters in the NBA. The Atlanta Hawks were thankful for that. Korver led the NBA in three-point percentage while attempting 6 three-pointers per game. His impressive shooting exploits were handsomely rewarded in February.

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Along with Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap and Al Horford, Korver was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star Team. In the game Korver impressed, knocking down 7 three-pointers on his way to a 21 point evening.

For much of the season Korver flirted with the 50/50/90 plateau that no starting player has ever reached. For those of you that are unaware, that means Korver shot 50 percent from the field, 50 percent from three-point range, and 90 percent from the free-throw line for much of the season.

That’s just insane. An eight game slump in February, in which Korver shot 30.5 percent from outside and 31.9 percent overall, ended up knocking him from his perch, effectively ending his chances at history. He eventually warmed back up, but he still ended up just missing in all three categories. You can partially thank a broken nose for that. That still made for one of the greatest shooting seasons of all-time.

The way Korver can bend a defense with his three-point shooting was instrumental in keeping Atlanta’s fast-paced offense humming. The Hawks scored 108.9 points per 100 possessions last season, good enough for the 6th ranked offensive rating in the NBA. The Hawks also won 60 games, captured the 1st seed in the Eastern Conference and even rattled off 19 wins in a row. That included a perfect 17-0 January. That month Korver and the other 4 Hawks starters were all named the Eastern Conference Players of the month. None of that would have been possible without Korver’s exceptional outside shooting.

However, like most of the team, in the playoffs Korver scuffled. In 14 postseason games, Korver averaged 11.1 points per game on 39.1 percent from the floor and 35.5 percent from three-point range. A far cry from his historical regular season numbers.

In Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals things got even worse. While taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers for the chance to make the NBA Finals, Korver suffered a right ankle injury that would keep him out for the rest of the playoffs. Just like that his legendary season was over, short of the ultimate goal.

2015-2016 Season Preview

The big question for Korver this year is his health. He has undergone a whopping three surgeries since March. No matter what type of shape a person is in, that has to take a toll. Korver had surgery on his broken nose in March, surgery on his ankle in June, and another surgery in June to clean up his right elbow.

The good news is that Korver was recently cleared to return to basketball activities. Here is what Mike Budenholzer told the Atlanta Journal Constitution about the recovery of Korver, Thabo Sefolosha and Shelvin Mack.

"“They’ve all had very good summers,” Budenholzer said. “I think they are on schedule, maybe even a little ahead of schedule. It’s interesting even between now (and the start of camp), it’s another seven, eight, nine days. It’s an important week for them to see how they are going into camp. I’m sure we’ll be hopeful that they are cleared and ready to go."

That’s a good sign and Korver’s intense training regimen is the stuff of legends, but eventually father time wins out. His shooting has aged well, but Korver is still 34 years old. Is this the year Korver finally starts to decline?

I don’t think that will be the case. It’s tough to imagine Korver going from an all-time great to washed up so quickly. If he’s healthy, he will still be close to the three-point sniper he’s always been.

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The only place I worry about Korver is on the defensive end. Over the last few years he has turned himself into a very good defender, still if his ankle is giving him trouble during the season he could see that ability start to erode.

It’s unreasonable to expect another season that nears 50/50/90 levels from Korver. I still expect him to be one of the best shooters in the NBA, but that could be as good as it gets for Korver. How many players in NBA history have had career best seasons at age 34?

Not many do and I don’t expect Korver to be any different. What can you expect? Solid defense, a three-point shooting percentage over 40 percent, consistently elite free-throw shooting and a player with a unique skillset that opens up the floor for his teammates. The Hawks will take that.

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