Atlanta Hawks: Taurean Prince Emerges as Third Scoring Option
A consistent third scoring option is what can really help push a team’s offense to high levels. The Atlanta Hawks look to have found that in Taurean Prince.
The Atlanta Hawks have clawed back into their series against the Washington Wizards.
The Hawks defended home court in Game Three to bring the series to 2-1 in favor of the Wizards. But over the first three games of this series, it appears that the Hawks may have found a crucial piece of their offense from a place where people did not expect it.
For Atlanta, it was largely assumed that Dennis Schroder, Paul Millsap, and Tim Hardaway Jr. would be the team’s top three scoring options in the playoffs. And while the first two men on that list are playing well, Hardaway has struggled through the first three games against Washington. He is averaging 11.3 points per game and has been very inefficient. Hardaway has shot just 29.4 percent from the field through three games and is 3-for-16 from three-point range.
But another Hawk has picked up the slack.
Rookie small forward Taurean Prince has stepped up in the playoffs to be an efficient, trusty scorer. Through three games, Prince is averaging 14.0 points per game in the series and has shot 62.1 percent from the floor. He has also connected on 4-of-7 three-point attempts in the series.
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The offensive game of Prince is appearing to become more well-rounded every game. From his quick first step to his jump shot, Prince has become a man that can score in multiple ways. He has also become a very aggressive, yet smart, attacker of the basket. The ferocity in which he drives with allows his strong frame to get to the rim rather easily, making him very dangerous on the Atlanta offense.
Prince had his best performance of the playoffs thus far in Game Three. The former Baylor standout scored 16 points and shot 70.0 percent from the floor, and also did not commit a turnover. It has been clear through three games that the Wizards do not have a defender that can match up with Prince.
And the Hawks need to continue to exploit that.
The pure talent of the Wizards is probably greater than the Hawks when looking at both rosters. But Prince just might possess the most talent at the wing position for either squad, excluding Bradley Beal. This has become an advantage for the Hawks in this series and many expected Otto Porter to be the better small forward. But that has, simply, not been the case.
Next: Comparing the Hawks' and Wizards' Benches
The Hawks will need Hardaway to pick things up if this playoff run is to be a deep one. But as long as Prince continues to play this way, the Hawks have a real chance to come back and eliminate the Wizards.