Atlanta Hawks: 3 Players Named to Bleacher Report’s Top 100

#70: Kent Bazemore

We ranked Kent Bazemore as the best player on the Atlanta Hawks in an offseason story, so we can certainly agree with his placement in the Top 75 of Bleacher Report’s story.

After watching Bazemore in the preseason, it seems he will bring the same effort, energy and intensity that Atlanta Hawks fans have learned to love over the years, as Baze is now the only holdover from the team’s magical run to the Eastern Conference Finals (and 60 wins) in 2014-15.

Baze had a career year last season, and he will likely be playing some of the best ball of his career for a young Hawks team – helping to guide his young teammates on defense. He should also benefit from a more willing passing point guard in Trae Young.

The Hawks have a multitude of ballhandlers on the team now, as Bazemore, Young, Jeremy Lin, DeAndre’ Bembry and Taurean Prince can all handle the ball for multiple possessions per game – giving the Hawks an interesting and multi-faceted offensive attack not seen since that 2014-15 team.

The Bleacher Report piece expects Bazemore to be the Atlanta Hawks’ preeminent trade chip, even though many thought he was wildly overpaid in 2016 (WRONG):

“Remember when Kent Bazemore was so overpaid that his four-year, $70 million deal seemed virtually untradeable? We don’t blame you if your memory is failing, because the rediscovery of this swingman’s shooting stroke, as well as his continued excellence on the defensive end, has made him an asset for the Atlanta Hawks.”