Soaring Down South
Fansided

Hawks Lose Backcourt Depth by Waiving Isaiah Taylor

By Chris Guest

SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 22: Isaiah Taylor #22 of the Atlanta Hawks looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on March 22, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 22: Isaiah Taylor #22 of the Atlanta Hawks looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on March 22, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Atlanta Hawks have been quiet so far in free agency, only announcing the signings of recent draft picks Trae Young, Kevin Huerter and Omari Spellman as well as undrafted two-way player Jaylen Adams.

The Hawks are definitely interested in various players, such as Zach LaVine, as well as possibly aiding some of the franchises attempting to put together superteams by taking on bad money while accruing quality draft picks and young players.

One move the team did announce prior to July 1 was the release of backup point guard Isaiah Taylor, who was quite productive for the Hawks last season and showed flashes of impressive speed and solid finishing around the rim during his full major role in the NBA.

Taylor played sparingly for the Rockets in 2016-17, but was given much freer rein as a member of Atlanta after taking over the point guard duties for Malcolm Delaney (who was also recently let go) early on in the season. His speed and ballhandling were excellent as the primary backup for starting point guard Dennis Schröder, and he showed an impressive ability to get to the rim – even skying for dunks late in the season.

In terms of per-game numbers, Taylor was solid in a backup capacity – though he did start 9 games down the end of the year – putting up 6.6 PPG, 3.1 APG and 1.4 RPG in 17.4 minutes per game.

Though his ability to get to the rim was valuable for the Hawks, he lacked that pass-first instinct at the point of attack, and he also was an even worse long-range shooter than DS17, which is a rare feat.

Taylor shot a poor 25 percent from deep during the 2017-18 season, and his shot did not look great as it was leaving his hands.

By drafting three terrific collegiate shooters, the Hawks clearly sent a message that three-point shooting is the team’s focus going forward – an area where Taylor lags. As such, it was clear the team did not particularly value Taylor’s skill set for next season.

Next: Atlanta Hawks 2018 Free Agency Wish List

This move also augurs that the Hawks will need to pick up another point guard option whether or not the Hawks decide to keep Dennis Schröder on the books for 2018-19. We shall see.

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