#5. Vince Carter
To be honest, this list pretty much wrote itself, though the next two spots could’ve easily been flipped without much concern (and, in fact, they were during one draft).
For the final draft, though, let’s slide NBA legend Vince Carter in as the fifth-best player on the Atlanta Hawks in the 2019-20 season.
Though that might seem kind of high, Carter was an extremely positive presence on the floor for the Atlanta Hawks last season – especially on defense.
Per Cleaning the Glass, Carter had the highest defensive defensive on/off rating on the entire team (among qualified players). When Carter was playing defense, the Hawks gave up 4.2 points less than they did with him off the court, which was in the 86th percentile of power forwards in the NBA.
Furthermore, Carter will likely play a similarly heavy minutes load to what he did last season (1330 minutes, 9th on the Hawks per Basketball Reference), and let’s hope he is able to recreate his all-around impact next season in what will be a record-breaking 22nd season in the NBA – during which he will turn 43 years old and play in four different decades.
Despite those bonkers records, Carter is no curio or gimmick; should the Atlanta Hawks somehow make the playoffs, expect Vince to play a significant role off the bench as a veteran three-and-D forward.