Atlanta Hawks: Underrated Rookie Kevin Huerter Off to Hot Start

The Eye Test

While Huerter’s first game of the season saw him only play 4:35, the next six games on the Atlanta Hawks schedule saw Huerter play at least 15 minutes, up until his injury scare against the Kings.

Though The Big Huert was able to hit a triple in that one (despite only playing 1:27), it sounds as if the injury is not that serious and more of a minor ankle sprain than anything else:

That’s good news, as watching Huerter play has been one of the more rewarding elements of Atlanta Hawks viewership this season. While Ice Trae is certainly the headliner with his eye-catching deep treys and his beautiful hit-ahead outlet passes and no-look dimes all over the court, Huerter has perhaps impressed even more in a rather understated way.

Again, Huerter’s athleticism is vastly underrated, as he has shown in-game:

Huerter is also extremely decisive on the court, which means he can translate his length, speed and athleticism into nifty transition plays like this sweet alley-oop to Kent Bazemore:

That length, athleticism and leaping ability often evinces itself in grab-and-go scenarios for Huerter, where he also shows off a nifty handle and smooth ballhandling skills. He has also taken multiple threes off the dribble to good results, so keep an eye on that in the future.

As has been stated ad infinitum at this point, Huerter’s shooting is his best strength, and he has already three triples in a game twice so far in his rookie season.

Who knows, he might break Klay Thompson’s 14 triples in a game mark next!

The Atlanta Hawks seem to find an absolute gem in the mid-to-late first round ever year: Huerter (#19) in 2018, John Collins (#19) in 2017 and Bembry (#21) in 2016. Huerter, so far, has outperformed his draft spot and looks to be a tremendous player for the team going forward. We can’t wait to watch him all year.