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Atlanta Hawks 2016-2017 Season Review: Kent Bazemore

By Collin Huguley

Apr 26, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Kent Bazemore (24) dribbles the ball as Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) defends in the first quarter in game five of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 26, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Kent Bazemore (24) dribbles the ball as Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) defends in the first quarter in game five of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 2, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Kent Bazemore (24) reacts to a call while playing against the Houston Rockets in the first half at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 2, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Kent Bazemore (24) reacts to a call while playing against the Houston Rockets in the first half at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports /

The Bad

Bazemore was, simply, not all that good this season.

First of all, he did not make a statistical leap from last season. But he did not drop off all that much either. His shooting percentage fell from 44.1 percent from 40.9 percent but other than that, there was not a large difference in his per-game averages. Bazemore posted 11.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. He also shot 34.6 percent from three.

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But the shooting percentage was something that mirrored his overall offensive decline. He appeared to press too much on offense, perhaps to try to justify his contract and step up. But he looked tense much of the time and forced bad shots. There were also several instances in which he committed bad turnovers in crunch time and had some rough games late in the year in the turnover department.

The final game of the season was representative of the frustration with Baze. In Game 6 against the Wizards, he committed seven turnovers and just nine points in a 16-point loss.

But defensively, Bazemore took a step back also. He just did not look as sharp on that end of the floor this season and was not the versatile, athletic defender that he was a year ago. Whether it be players figuring him out or him being disinterested, it just did not work as well for him. He defensive rating went from 100 last season to 106 this season to go along with a 97 offensive rating.

Bazemore just isn’t a very efficient player on either side of the floor. He doesn’t shoot it consistently, he is turnover prone and is vulnerable on defense. His player efficiency rating this season was 11.5, which is not good.

He looked to try too hard to justify his contract and it brought the worst out of him.

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