Atlanta Hawks: 7 Players Set for Breakout Years in 2018-19
By Chris Guest
6. Kevin Huerter
The Hawks made a big bet on Kevin Huerter when they selected him with the 19th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. After watching some of his career highlights, it’s easy to see why Atlanta Hawks General Manager Travis Schlenk might’ve seen elements of Klay Thompson in Huerter’s game in his quest to recreate the success the Golden State Warriors have enjoyed with 2-3 world-class shooters:
Huerter will have a great opportunity to break out next season, especially since he was unable to play in Summer League due to offseason wrist surgery.
Let’s hope he’s healthy, because if he is, he will serve as an excellent change-of-pace ballhandler when Trae Young is off the floor, as Huerter has a tight handle and has shown a nifty ability to get to the rim and finish through traffic with floaters or leaners.
If his game can translate well to the next level, Huerter is primed to have a huge year for the Hawks in 2018-19.
5. Tyler Dorsey
Tyler Dorsey, who played big minutes during Summer League, was one of the lone bright spots on a downtrodden Atlanta Hawks team from last season.
It was fun watching Dorsey learn and grow in his role as a second-round rookie last season, and he had multiple highlight plays in his rookie year:
Going into 2018-19, Dorsey will likely be expected to play big minutes as a backup two guard to Kent Bazemore (unless Baze gets traded, in which case Dorsey should expect to see far more minutes).
Either way, Dorsey’s blend of shooting and ballhandling should be a boon for a Hawks team that will have quite a few options in that role next year.
If Summer League was any indicator, Dorsey can expect to see his numbers increase from last year, as TD was 12th in PPG in Las Vegas (19.5) and 5th in RPG (11). Though Dorsey’s path isn’t quite as clear as it was before, still expect to see improvement from him, possibly enough for him to have a breakout campaign.