Why Taurean Prince Will Have Instant Impact For The Hawks

Offensive Capabilities

Offensively, Prince isn’t going to overwhelm the defense by specializing in one area. His size obviously makes him a concern when he puts the ball on the floor and attacks the basket, but he can also step outside the arc and make the defense pay for slow rotations.

Although Prince wasn’t high on draft boards offensively, his 20.8 points per 40 minutes proves he can put the ball in the hoop. His shooting percentages dropped from his junior to his senior season, but the reason for the slippage was his increased involvement as a senior. During his junior season, he was more of an off-ball scorer who depended on others to create scoring opportunities for him.

As expected, his senior season came with Prince being a featured part of Baylor’s offense including times that he would be the primary ball-handler. It’s easier to ignore the slippage in percentage after taking into mind his responsibilities as a senior.

Watch here as Prince steals the pass and takes it coast-to-coast, finishing it off with his left hand:

Throughout his rookie season in the NBA, it will be more similar to his junior season in the sense that he will be playing the majority of his offensive possessions off the ball and allowing players such as Dennis Schroder and Paul Millsap to get him open shot opportunities.

Prince converted 37.6 percent of his three-point shots throughout his four years at Baylor. He can expect to see his share of long-distance shots next season as Carroll did in 2014-15.

Watch here Prince displayed his NBA range against Texas’ soft 2-3 zone:

His offensive skill-set will continue to grow as his career goes on, but he already has a solid foundation for the Hawks to work with.

Next: A Presence Defensively