Atlanta Hawks 2018-19 Player Profile: Jaylen Adams
By Dallin Duffy
With the regular season thankfully underway, let’s delve into the possible scenarios for the 2018-19 season for two-way player Jaylen Adams on the Atlanta Hawks.
Whether because his age, his size or the fact he played at a smaller school, Jaylen Adams went undrafted last June, and the Atlanta Hawks quickly signed him to a two-way deal after the draft was over.
As a four-year starter for St. Bonaventure, Adams put up solid numbers and improved steadily. As a senior, he averaged 19.1 points, 1.5 steals, 5.2 assists on 44/43/85 shooting. While he did win the A-10 Conference player of the year (co-winner with Davidson’s Peyton Aldridge), he had a statistically better season as a junior (20.6 points, 2.1 steals, 6.5 assists).
Last season ended with him leading the Bonnies to the NCAA tournament, losing in the first round as an 11 seed.
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Adams entered the summer on the outside looking in of the draft sphere. CBS Sports had him ranked 68th of qualified prospects and 73rd by Nbadraft.net. Both figures were just outside the 60 names that get called on draft night.
In the end, Adams fell off draft boards and went undrafted. On July 1st, The Hawks swooped in a signed the rookie to a two-way deal that would split his time between Atlanta and the Erie BayHawks of the G-League.
Adams is one of three true point guards on the Hawks’ opening day roster, behind fellow rookie Trae Young and oft-injured veteran Jeremy Lin.
If Young struggles early, or if Lin gets hurt (or is traded), Adams could get solid playtime in the Association this year.
When he does suit up for the Hawks, he’ll bring knockdown shooting (39% career from 3) and high-effort -albeit flawed- defense. He’s been knocked before for his turnover frequency, and that’s not something that usually adjusts well to the high-speed play in the NBA. Some time in the G-League will hopefully help this.
Jaylen Adams tonight against OKC: 9 points on 3-of-7 shooting (3-of-5 3-point) in 18 minutes of play. https://t.co/CV2JXEFPtO
— Chuckie Maggio (@chuckiemaggio) October 8, 2018
Adams is experienced at running an offense and while NBA front offices do value youth in prospects, (Adams turned 22 in May) his experience could be beneficial if Atlanta needs to put him in the rotation in a pinch.
His real value will be in Erie, were he’ll likely get solid minutes off the bat. The Hawks are in no position to be a contender anytime soon (although there is a chance), and discovering talent is priority number one.
Instead of wasting his rookie year on the end of the bench, only playing in blowouts, Adams can show his worth for the BayHawks as an audition-type season for the big club.
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In short, Hawks fans shouldn’t expect too much from Adams this season, but he’ll still be a name to watch. At age 22, he’s much more of a finished product than a prospect, and there’s a question if his play will translate to the NBA level because of him playing in a smaller conference in college. Still, he could be a quality spark-plug backup at some point down the road.