Free Agent Target: Omri Casspi

If the Warriors are proving one important thing to the rest of the NBA, it is the importance of bench depth once the playoffs begin. In game one of the NBA Finals, the Warriors bench outscored the Cavaliers bench 34-9. Two Warriors bench players, Andre Iguodala and Marreese Speights, changed the energy of the game and rallied the Warriors from a 14 point deficit in the second quarter.

The Atlanta Hawks bench was a letdown in the playoffs, scoring less, rebounding less and a general disaster from behind the three point line.

Bench Regular Season: 46.4 points, 27 rebounds, 34% from three,
Bench Playoffs: 34 points, 16.2 rebounds, 25% from three

The lack of bench production put a greater work load and pressure upon the offense as the bench players underperformed and the starters had to clean up their mess.

Dennis Schroder: (Reg. Season) 42%, 35% from three. (Playoffs) 38%, 23% from three.

Kent Bazemore: (Reg. Season) 42%, 36% from three. (Playoffs) 42%, 21% from three.

Mike Scott: (Reg. Season) 44%, 34% from three. (Playoffs) 38%, 15% from three.

First order of business this summer is obvious: Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll. Coming in a close second is rebuilding the bench with quality veterans who can make open shots under pressure.

Apr 8, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Omri Casspi (18) dunks the ball during the second quarter against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

Omri Casspi is an unrestricted free agent. He is 26 years old, a 6-9 small forward who makes open threes, rebounds and plays 20+ minutes a night. A first round pick in 2009, he played in Israel for two years before entering the NBA and became the first Israeli ever to be drafted.

In 2008, he was Israeli League Sixth Man of the Year. The next year he finished 4^th in FIBA Europe Young Men’s Player of the Year. Ricky Rubio, Danilo Gallinari and Kosta Koufas finished ahead of him.

Casspi is an unrestricted free agent who played this current year in Sacramento. The Kings drafted him in 2009, traded him to the Cavs in 2011 where he played two years. He is back with Sacramento after a one year stint in Houston. 2014-15 was a career year for Casspi.

He shot 49% which was the highest percentage on the Sacramento Kings for players logging 18 minutes or more. He led the Kings in three point field goal percentage. He led all bench players in rebounding with 3.9.

2 Pointers: 51%
0-3 feet: 73%
3-10 feet: 34%
10-16 feet: 13%
Long 2’s: 22%
3 Pointers: 40%

In two weeks, Omri Casspi will turn 27 years old. He’s been a professional basketball player for 8 years; his experience is an asset. The Hawks would be a welcome relief for his up and down, round the league, six year NBA career. His game translates well into the Budenholzer system of motion and ball sharing. Casspi can make open threes but he can also fake a defender and dribble past him to the rim.

The infectious youth of Schroder, Bazemore and Casspi, as well as their ability to score, (Shroder and Casspi), and defend, (Bazemore), would give the Hawks starters in-game rest valued by their bodies.

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The way the game has changed in the past five years has do with three point accuracy. It is the secret ingredient to a successful post-season, something the Hawks found out first hand. Their bench was terrible in game one against Brooklyn, shooting 25%. They never improved.

In the regular season, the Hawks led the league in open shots. They took 52% of them. In the playoffs, the trend continued. The Hawks took shots when their defenders couldn’t rotate quick enough. But, the difference between the two seasons was that in the regular season the Hawks made their open shots. In the post-season they didn’t.

No surprise here, the NBA is a make or miss league. Great teams make the shots when they are open, particularly from three. The past five NBA champions had accurate shooting benches.

2014 Spurs: 43% from three
2013 Heat: 38% from three
2012 Heat: 38% from three
2011 Mavericks: 38% from three
2010 Lakers: 34% from three

25% three point shooting from the Hawks bench is not going to cut it. On any day. In any game. Improving this particular weakness is simple and yet it is not. All teams want accurate three point shooting role players who are veterans, mature, experienced and team first players like Omri Casspi.

The Kings will try to keep Casspi, why wouldn’t they? The Hawks won’t be the only team interested in Casspi’s services.

But unlike the Sacramento Kings, the Hawks can offer this particular selling point. We won the Eastern Conference. We won 60 games. You will be part of a winning team and an exciting culture of which the building blocks have been put in place. The Kings may offer California but they also offer losing. A lot of it. They have been in the lottery for a decade.

The Hawks don’t even remember what the lottery feels like. All they know are the playoffs, a place Omri Casspi has never, ever been.

This year, Omri Casspi made $1 million dollars. He had a great season and no one knows if it was because his maturity and his game were in perfect alignment. Or, if he was playing for a contract. The only thing that can be measured are the numbers: 49% shooting, 40% from three. The only Atlanta Hawk who made over 40% of his distance shots was Kyle Korver. Another efficient shooter would only solidify the Hawks offense when things become chaotic in the paint.

Casspi will get a pay raise, you can bet on that. Nevertheless, he is still a very affordable asset who the Hawks can depend on to stabilize their second unit. Kent Bazemore is not a scorer. Dennis Schroder’s offense goes on vacation without warning. The Hawks need to rely on someone from deep when Korver is off the floor. Why not Omri Casspi?

Next: The Summer of Big Decisions

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