Atlanta Hawks: 3 Reasons the Vince Carter Signing Was Great

Amazing Career

Because of those two decades of experience, the Atlanta Hawks will now be inextricably linked to Carter – even though the incredible dunking displays of his “Air Canada/Vinsanity” days are well behind him.

What a joy to watch.

Even if Atlanta is just a one-year pit stop in the list of teams that Carter ends up playing for, he himself chose to play for the Hawks when he could’ve just gone ring chasing.

Any player that chooses a somewhat downtrodden franchise like the Hawks – even someone as ill-fitting and ill-advised as Dwight Howard – immediately becomes a likable player when they’re on the Hawks. (Sorry, is my fandom showing?)

On-Court Effectiveness

Though Vince Carter signing with the Hawks is big-enough news on its own, the actual on-court impact he makes will likely be minimal – comparative to other players on Atlanta’s roster at least.

Despite his advanced age (in NBA terms at least), Vince is still a very effective player. In only 17.7 minutes per game in 58 games last year, Carter put up per-game numbers of 5.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists.

The year prior, his final campaign for Memphis in 2016-17, Carter was even more effective in his age-40 season. In 73 games and 1799 total minutes, VC put up 8 PPG, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists as the Grizz made the playoffs (getting bounced in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs).

Carter definitely doesn’t defy gravity with the same regularity that he used to, but he can still get up for some nice slams, which is something quite impressive at 41 years of age:

VC is also a cagey, intelligent defender who rarely makes mistakes on that end of the floor and has enough size and length to stymy multiple positions on the court.

Having Vince Carter on the team will make the 2018-19 Hawks one of the most enjoyable teams in franchise history, and let’s hope he sticks around all year. It seems likely, since he played all of last season with the lowly Kings.