Georgia guard Anthony Edwards has recently declared for the NBA draft. Let’s take a look at how he may fit with the 2020-2021 Atlanta Hawks.
Anthony Edwards has long been regarded as the most likely candidate to be selected first overall in the 2020 NBA draft. Not only has Edwards been an elite offensive force averaging 19.1 points per game this season but his defensive potential is what’s most intriguing about him. Edwards is a 6-foot-5, 225 lb shooting guard with a 6-foot-9 wingspan and often garners comparisons to two-way NBA shooting guards such as Donovan Mitchell, Jaylen Brown and Victor Oladipo.
The Atlanta Hawks currently have the fourth-best odds (12.5%) at acquiring the number one overall pick in this year’s draft, per Tankathon.com. This gives them a good chance at jumping up into the top two or even top one where they would be able to draft Anthony Edwards who isn’t likely to fall much further than that.
Anthony Edwards had incredible raw numbers in his lone season at Georgia averaging 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.6 blocks per game (according to Basketball-Reference). Edwards also shot 50.4 percent from the field and 77.2 percent from the free-throw line which is really good. And while he certainly didn’t shy away from shooting three’s this season (7.7 three-point attempts per game), he only shot 29.4 percent from behind the three-point line. With that being said, Edwards has solid shooting mechanics and if he is able to take less wild three-point attempts his percentage will likely increase accordingly.
In terms of the fit with Anthony Edwards potentially going to the Hawks next season, well… it would be absolutely perfect. It would be a tall task to find a more perfect complement to Trae Young than Anthony Edwards. He complements Trae Young so perfectly on the defensive end of the floor in the sense that he would be able to lock-down the other teams best guard while letting Trae somewhat take a break on that end of the floor.
In addition to his defense, Anthony Edwards would work very well with Trae Young on the offensive side of the ball. Edwards is a great slasher and driver who also has the tools to be a really good shooter. On the other hand, Trae is a great shooter and an amazing playmaker which would make the game a lot easier for Edwards offensively.
Along with Edwards’ perfect fit beside Trae Young, he would slot in seamlessly with the rest of the Atlanta Hawks potential starting lineup next season. If the Hawks goal is to surround Trae Young with as many plus defenders as possible, a starting lineup consisting of Trae Young, Anthony Edwards, De’Andre Hunter, John Collins and Clint Capela would be a force to be reckoned with. This would also leave the Hawks with Kevin Heurter, Dewayne Dedmon and Cam Reddish coming off the bench. This would be a legitimate eight-man rotation that would be a serious contender for the playoffs next season.
If the ping pong balls fall the Hawks way, they could see themselves landing the perfect backcourt mate for Trae Young, however, if they don’t there’s no knowing what might happen.