Atlanta Hawks Projected Starting Lineup for 2019-20 Season
By Chris Guest
Shooting Guard: Kevin Huerter
Another rather obvious inclusion to the team’s starting lineup is second-year delight Kevin Huerter, also lovingly known as Red Pepper.
Huerter was a steal last year at #19 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft, which was the same draft slot in which other NBA teams gifted John Collins to the Atlanta Hawks in 2017, and he outplayed many other members of his draft class. Kev was rewarded by being named to the Second Team All-Rookie (just like JC).
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Huerter had some of the best on/off numbers and advanced metrics on the entire Atlanta Hawks squad last year, including the team’s second-highest efficiency differential (+6.6 per Cleaning the Glass), behind only John Collins at +9.8.
Beyond his advanced metric impact, Huerter was a clear positive when looked at via the eye test as well, as his solid frame, good size and surprising speed made for an imposing defender and interesting closeout-attacking offensive threat as well.
With a smooth handle and the ability to make extremely swift decisions with the ball in his hands, Huerter played like a veteran at times – knowing the right decision to make on both ends of the court and making it with regularity.
Seeing the growth of Huerter next season as a full-time starter should be yet another reason to be extremely excited about the 2019-20 Atlanta Hawks.