The Atlanta Hawks have had an action-packed and fascinating offseason punctuated by multiple trades, free agent signings and draft picks.
While perhaps the most notable transactions the Atlanta Hawks have undertaken this offseason occurred surrounding the draft – such as the #3 for #5 trade and the selection of Trae Young, Kevin Huerter and Omari Spellman – there were multiple new players brought in as contributors for the 2018-19 rendition of the team.
Though we’re still roughly 2 months away from any meaningful NBA action (i.e. the regular season), but it’s never too early to look ahead at the team’s roster makeup when it comes to the 2018-19 campaign.
In particular with this piece, I wanted to explore an interesting angle: Who are the best players on the Atlanta Hawks right now – before the season even begins?
8 — Kevin Huerter
This list had to start off with some rookies, and, indeed, Kevin Huerter leads off the list of the best players on the Hawks in the immediate.
While not quite as highly touted as who follows him up on this list, but Huerter turned a lot of heads during the buildup to the NBA draft in the Combine as well as during localized team workouts and interviews.
While he had started the draft process as a fringe first round selection, his ball skills and stunning shooting numbers immediately impressed scouts and GMs all around the league.
With Atlanta Hawks General Manager Travis Schlenk’s focus on outside shooting, taking Huerter #19 overall was an easy choice. With it, the Hawks secured a very strong player at a fairly low draft position – similar to the magic Schlenk worked by selecting John the Baptist at #19 last year.
Only time will tell if Huerter can become the Klay Thompson to Ice Trae’s Stephen Curry (in the lofty Warriors of the East scenario), but if he does, watch out NBA!