Though high lottery picks in the NBA draft get much of the attention and headlines after entering the league, there have been a few success stories of players picked in the second round succeeding at the highest level. Let’s hope that is the case for the Atlanta Hawks second round pick out of the University of Oregon, Tyler Dorsey.
The Hawks received this pick from the Charlotte Hornets as part of the Dwight Howard trade, which has looked to be about even so far in terms of production on both teams.
While Dorsey has received precious little playing time in his first season in the NBA – totaling only 63 minutes of action in 10 games in the league – his shooting pedigree, three-point propensity and some explosive G-League performances make it clear that Dorsey is destined to be much more than just a benchwarmer for the Hawks going forward.
As the 41st overall pick in the draft (11th pick of the second round), expectations were not extraordinarily high for the former Oregon Duck. Very few second round picks make a big splash in the NBA, though the recent success of 35th overall pick Draymond Green and 60th overall pick Isaiah Thomas make the case that good players can fall into the second round – especially if the team situation that player enters into is a good one.
For Dorsey, becoming a stable rotation piece for the Hawks is not out of the question, and the early returns of his playing time make it clear that there are a few roles he could perform admirably.
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There is one A+ skill that Dorsey has shown so far in his short NBA career – a willingness to shoot from distance. The Atlanta Hawks in the Mike Budenholzer era have always been one of the most willing three-point shooting teams in the league, and Dorsey could fit into that profile with ease.
Dorsey is leading the entire team in three-point attempt rate at 70 percent, as 14 of his 20 attempts from the field have been from downtown. Dorsey is hitting those shots at a respectable clip as well, going 5 of 14 (35.7%) from deep.
TD’s stroke looks excellent coming off his hands, and his form seems to be near-perfect. The Hawks could really use a knockdown shooter with a quick release, as most of the shooters on the team have more drawn-out releases (Taurean Prince, Dennis Schröder and Ersan Ilyasova all come to mind).
As a knockdown shooter, Dorsey could thrive as a bench scorer/shooter of the first degree. The Hawks as a team lack a true catch-and-shoot sniper (especially with Luke Babbitt falling to the end of the bench) as Marco Belinelli is often tasked with creating shots off the dribble as opposed to standing in the corner and awaiting an open look.
Dorsey’s most promising performance this season did not actually occur with the Atlanta Hawks. In an impressive showing with the Hawks G-League affiliate, the Erie Bayhawks, Dorsey crushed the South Bay Lakers on December 21st to the tune of 34 points on 13 of 21 shooting (61.9%) including 5 of 10 from beyond the arc.
TD was all over the floor, and was serving as the primary ball handler for much of the game. His offensive polish was evident, as he was diming up open shooters, finishing teardrop floaters in the lane and drilling threes with regularity all over the floor.
Sure, the level of competition is a far cry from what he will see in the NBA, but Dorsey’s offensive game certainly looked sharp on this night, and this performance should have caught the attention of Hawks’ fans all over.
With the Hawks on pace to finish with the worst record in the league, and the worst team record since the 04-05 Hawks’ 13-69 season, there is no reason not to play a promising rookie like Dorsey more. Dorsey has only played a paltry 63 minutes this season, which is 1 minute less than 28-year-old rookie Josh Magette.
Don’t get me wrong, Magette’s passing vision is amazing, but Dorsey is an exuberant 21-year-old with a lot of upside who wants to show the Hawks what he can do on an NBA basketball court – let’s hope Coach Bud and company give him the chance sooner rather than later this season.