Taurean Prince
Grade: C
It’s a shame that many of the Hawks’ starters rank so low on this list, but sadly, their performance has merited low rankings and Taurean Prince is no exception.
Second-year players are expected to make a jump, especially after the Prince That Was Promised made a big splash in the 2016 playoffs and was regarded as the best rookie playing big minutes in those playoffs. However, 2017 has not been kind to Taurean and he has been rather lax on both ends, despite logging the most minutes on the team with 900.
A promising aspect of Prince’s season has been his three-point shooting, which at this point, is his one major skill. Prince is second on the team with 51 made three-pointers (Marco Belinelli paces the team with 56 makes) and a 42.5 three-point percentage, trailing only Luke Babbitt (who has attempted 30 fewer shots from downtown).
For Taurean to blossom into a stout, intimidating 3-and-D wing player, he must improve on the less glamorous end as his 111 defensive rating per 100 possessions is 8th on the Hawks.