A deep dive into the 7 Players for the Atlanta Hawks that are poised for breakout years next season.
After an action-packed and entertaining offseason, the Atlanta Hawks finally have their roster set for the 2018-19 season.
With almost an entire roster of new faces – many of them fresh-faced rookies and sophomores – the Hawks will have plenty of opportunity for growth and development next year, when they are expected by many (including Las Vegas oddsmakers) to be one of the worst teams in the league.
Because many of the players on the team are just getting their feet wet in the NBA world, there comes with them the chance that they might exceed expectations to some degree. Others might just blow up, like Victor Oladipo did last season, and become a major star in the NBA for years to come.
We’ve outlined a list of the 7 players that are primed to have breakout years in 2018-19, starting with:
7. Alex Poythress
A rather under-the-radar choice to start this list, Alex Poythress was signed using the Atlanta Hawks final Two-Way Contract of the offseason. Though that contract will limit Poythress’s availability to 45 days with the big club, Poythress is still in line for playing a bigger than role with the Hawks than he has had with the 76ers and Pacers so far in his career.
Poythress has only played a total of 261 minutes in his career, scoring 90 points with 46 rebounds in that time.
It must be noted that there is little evidence that Poythress will have a breakout year for the Hawks, but he plays an important position as a large, burly wing, and he has shown flashes of shooting ability through the first few years of his career.
Combine that with his age (25), and he has a chance to break out this year in a limited role for the Atlanta Hawks.
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.
4. Trae Young
This was an easy one. As one of the most lauded rookies in Hawks history, Trae Young comes into the season with the weight of a fan base on his fairly narrow shoulders.
Many people are nitpicking Trae’s game and frankly disrespecting his abilities, while others are homering heavily for him to become the next Stephen Curry. The most likely outcome is somewhere in the middle, but Young is still poised to have a breakout year in 2018-19.
All of his skills and flaws were on full display in Summer League, when he careened from looking like an All-NBA contributor to a lost and befuddled pickup game participant. Sure, he had some highlight plays, but the growing pains were apparent.
Still though, he is one of the most approachable players (think early superstar-era Steph Curry) in the league, and he lavishes the idea of playing for the Atlanta Hawks as its primary focus in marketing and promotional materials.
If Trae can even somewhat live up to the hype, he will have a great shot at winning Rookie of the Year and having a breakout campaign (something that ESPN does not believe he will do).
3. Alex Len
A rather shocking decision here, but Alex Len clocks in as our third-highest chance at having a breakout year in 2018-19.
Signed to a two-year deal about halfway through the free agency frenzy, Len was not a particularly sexy signing to the masses, even if it was an interesting one for NBA nerds and Atlanta Hawks fans alike.
As has been explored before, Len had perhaps his best professional season in 2017-18, as his efficiency numbers and general offensive numbers were the best they’ve ever been.
Now in his fifth season, Len can be expected to play big minutes as the primary backup center to Dewayne Dedmon, and if Dedmon is traded or gets injured, then Len will likely be given a lot of rope at the five along with rookie Omari Spellman and sophomore John Collins.
2. John Collins
Speaking of John Collins, you pretty much knew his name was going to be found somewhere in the upper echelon of this list.
After an excellent Second Team All-Rookie showing in his first year in the league, John the Baptist completely obliterated Summer League for two games before being shut down in advance of playing a major role for the Atlanta Hawks in 2018-19.
Though it could be debated that JC’s breakout season came last year, when he averaged 10.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.1 blocks and 0.6 steals per game in 24 minutes a night, there is still plenty of room for improvement and growth in Collins’s game in his first season as a focal point for the Atlanta Hawks on both offense and defense.
JC showed increased range during Summer League, pulling up for above-the-break threes and even taking defenders off the dribble, which was something that was rarely seen during his rookie year.
Collins has a lot to live up to after his tremendous rookie campaign, but if he can continue to grow and flourish in the modern NBA landscape, he has a chance to be the best breakout player on the Atlanta Hawks in 2018-19.
1. Taurean Prince
John Collins or Trae Young would be the clear-cut victor on almost any other team in the league when it comes to breakout players next season.
For the Hawks, however, Taurean Prince seems destined to have the biggest breakout year in 2018-19 after the torrid end of his 2017-18 campaign.
With both Dennis Schröder and Kent Bazemore out with injuries, much of the scoring load for the Hawks fell to then-second-year player TP.
He excelled in the role down the end of the season, putting up not one, but two 38-point games, and his three-point jumper was falling with undeniable regularity.
It was a tale of two seasons for The Prince That Was Promised, as the early portion of his 2017-18 season was marred by inconsistency and some goose-egg scoring nights.
Something clicked in the latter portion of the year, however, and perhaps it had something to do with Prince’s inclusion in the Rising Stars Game during the All-Star break.
Whatever the case, Prince came back hungry and ready to dominate, which he did for the most part – even leading the team to wins they had no business getting as the tanking was at its peak.
If Prince continues the tear he was on to end last season, then he will hands-down be the best breakout player on the Atlanta Hawks in 2018-19. Just look at him in this recent pickup game against various NBA players:
https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1030521642248691712
Not too shabby, TP! Not too shabby.
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