Atlanta Hawks: 7 Best Guards to Prioritize in Free Agency
By Chris Guest
Danny Green
We have previously outlined why Danny Green of the Toronto Raptors would be an excellent fit on the Atlanta Hawks as a three-and-D shooting guard to pair with the heavy usage rate of Trae Young.
Green has thrived as an off-ball weapon throughout his career. That off-ball wizardry was typified by his supremely low usage rate of 13 percent per Cleaning the Glass, which was in the 13th percentile among shooting guards in the 2018-19 season.
However, Green knew exactly what to do in his limited minutes, and he actually led the Raptors in points per shot attempt with a lofty 1.27 per Cleaning the Glass – a number that was ahead of Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry.
Across the board, Green had one of his best seasons in 2018-19, as his sky-high 62.6 effective field goal percentage would attest. That rate ranked him in the 98th percentile of shooting guards – rarefied air for a catch-and-shoot specialist like Green.
With the Atlanta Hawks, Green could expect a steady diet of wide open catch and shoot opportunities due to the immense pressure that Trae Young puts on an opposing defense. Ice Trae was regularly getting double- and triple-teamed way up in halfcourt sets – meaning somebody is open.
If that player is Danny Green on the Hawks, he will likely make opposing teams pay. Beyond that, Green’s sterling defensive numbers (first among shooting guards in ESPN’s DRPM with a 2.19) would help aid the Hawks where they need it most.