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Atlanta Hawks Add Wing Depth with Alex Poythress Signing

ByChris Guest|
MILWAUKEE, WI - JANUARY 03: Alex Poythress #0 of the Indiana Pacers walks across the court in the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center on January 3, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - JANUARY 03: Alex Poythress #0 of the Indiana Pacers walks across the court in the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center on January 3, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

The Atlanta Hawks continued their late activity this offseason by signing Alex Poythress to a Two-Way Contract.

This was the final Two-Way Contract the Hawks had available to them, and they used it in a shrewd way by improving their wing depth.

Last season, the Hawks only had Taurean Prince as a reliable option to guard the opposing team’s best threes, with DeAndre’ Bembry available for backup. Now, with the signing of Poythress and the trade for Justin Anderson, the Hawks have three plausible options to guard the three.

Poythress has a terrific frame and good size at the small forward position – 6-foot-7 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan – which means he should be able to showcase his defensive skill set whenever he’s on the court.

Of course, because of the limitations of his Two-Way deal, Poythress will only be available to be with the Hawks for 45 total days – unless the upgrade his contract to a fully guaranteed one, which is what happened last season with Tyler Cavanaugh.

Poythress has yet to truly click in the NBA, though he has only played a total of 31 games (1 start) over the past two seasons with the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers.

As with the Alex Len signing, the Hawks were looking for high-upside, low-cost flyers, which is exactly what Poythress provides. Though he will turn 25 before the start of next season, Poythress could turn into a stable rotation piece for the Hawks going forward.

A career 33 percent three-point shooter in the NBA (on a miniscule 10 of 30 sample size), with the right development, Poythress could become a rock-solid three-and-D option off the bench for the Hawks.

With Poythress, Anderson and Prince all on the roster with Omari Spellman and John Collins, the Hawks have a clear path to playing more “small ball,” which former coach Mike Budenholzer mostly refused to play last season due to the Hawks’ already sieve-like defense.

In a limited sample, Poythress also looked quite good for Indiana during Summer League, and he torched the Hawks for 21 points and 7 rebounds in Las Vegas:

In 5 games Poythress averaged 20.2 minutes per game and put up 12.2 PPG (on 50 percent shooting), 4 RPG, 1.2 SPG and 1 BPG.

Next: Players to Watch on 2018-19 Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks continue to get younger this offseason, as the rebuild clicks along. Poythress is a smart signing that further underlines the fact that the Hawks are in full “talent-acquisition” mode, which means many more low-cost flyers are on the horizon.