Atlanta Hawks: Ranking the 12 Best Fits in Free Agency
By Chris Guest
#12. Thomas Bryant
The Atlanta Hawks are definitely in the market for a big man (both in free agency and the 2019 NBA Draft), considering that Dewayne Dedmon is a free agent this offseason, and he will likely go to a contender after two extremely successful season with the Atlanta Hawks.
As such, the Hawks have been linked to various big men in the 2019 NBA Draft as well as a multitude of free agent big men when free agency rolls around later this summer.
One such player that would fit the team’s need for youthful big men is Thomas Bryant of the Washington Wizards. Bryant will only be 22 next season – still fully in the team’s youth-oriented timeline – and he was an extremely efficient scorer on offense last year for the Wiz.
Per Basketball Reference, Bryant actually led the NBA in two-point field goal percentage at 68.5 percent, and he was fourth in true shooting percentage (67.4%) and second in effective field goal percentage (64.8%). Furthermore, he was tops on the Wizards in points per shot attempt according to Cleaning the Glass; his 136 points per 100 shot attempts was in the 95th percentile among all big men in the league.
Bryant put forth effort and energy every night, which was a facet of his game that really popped alongside his mostly sleepwalking Wizards teammates. Though his offensive numbers were striking, his defense was slightly less inspiring – which is a bummer, considering that’s where the Atlanta Hawks need the most help at the center spot. As such, Bryant is rated last on this list (though still a good fit).