It’s time to look ahead to next season for the Atlanta Hawks by delving into player profiles for each member of the Hawks roster.
It’s strange to think that DeAndre’ Bembry of the Atlanta Hawks is entering his third season when it seems like we haven’t seen much of him at all.
In his first two seasons as a Hawk, Bembry was only on the court for 826 minutes, appearing in just 64 of a possible 164 games. This was due to him struggling to find minutes behind the playoff contending 2016 roster and nagging injuries in 2017.
Now, he’s shockingly one of the longest tenured players on the Hawks’ ever changing roster and has a chance to have a breakout season.
Bembry was the 21st overall pick of the 2016 draft and showed flashes of his first round talent well on the court last season. He scored 5.2 points in 17.5 minutes per game on 41% shooting (36% from three). He’s a good passer for his size, and has good bounce leading to some athletic jams from time to time.
Bembry also has nice rebounding skills, and his 2.8 boards per game trailed only big man Tyler Cavanaugh for most RPG for players who averaged less than 20 MPG last campaign. Not bad for someone who’s listed at 6-6.
His quick feet make him a sound defender but his reputation as a hustle player on offense hasn’t quite transitioned to the other side of the court for him, and he can sometimes be caught taking a possession or two off. He can also be quite a ball hawk on occasion as well as a sneaky shot-blocker.
Coming out of college his biggest question mark was shooting, and that’s oddly been one of his more impressive aspects since being drafted. Bembry has the foundation of good play in nearly every aspect of NBA ball, but he’s yet to master one. It’ll be interesting to see if the 24-year-old manages to build on these skills this season.
Speaking of this upcoming season, Bembry is poised for a minutes increase. He can play both the 2 and 3, and can even show off his ball handling as a 1 if Lloyd Pierce ever wants to go with a big lineup. This versatility makes him a good name to have coming off the bench and someone who can fill in for multiple people should any injuries to the starting five arise.
The Hawks do have a club option on Bembry after this season, which could help motivate him to produce if he wants to stay on the team. And really, this is a make or break year for DeAndre’ anyway.
Hopefully he’s able to stay healthy this season, and if he does, his potential as an all around stud should make him one of the more interesting names to watch in an Atlanta Hawks uniform.