2019 NBA Draft/Rookie Roundup
I thought it would be unfair to redraft the 2019 draft, which happened less than a year ago. As we’ve seen with Cam Reddish this year, rookies need varying amounts of time to adjust to the league, and fit is just as important.
For example, while Tyler Herro has been a better player than De’Andre Hunter in a bubble, the Hawks would still rather have Hunter who’s proven to be a better defender, which the Hawks need much more than perimeter scoring.
Instead, I wanted to do a quick recap of the three Atlanta Hawks’ rookies and seeing how they did in their first season.
Round one, pick 4: De’Andre Hunter
Hunter was the Atlanta Hawks’ highest draft pick since taking Al Horford third overall in 2007. He has been solid yet inconsistent, showing up some nights but doing an impression of ‘The Invisible Man’ the next.
He’s been a workhorse for Atlanta, staring 62 of the 63 games he’s appeared in, leading all rookies in minutes per game with 32.0. He’s been the Hawks’ third-leading scorer since Jabari Parker left the team, averaging 12.3 points on 41 percent shooting.
His three has heated up as the season’s progressed, making 42 percent from deep since January 26th. His calling card out of Virginia was his tough defense, and that has transitioned nicely into the league.
With some more time polishing both ends of his game, Hunter should become an elite 3-and-D forward for years to come.
Round one, pick 10: Cam Reddish
The renaissance of Cam Reddish has been well-documented, so I’ll save you the specifics. Basically, he was bad — really bad — throughout the first few months of the season, but has slowly progressed into a top rookie.
Since January 1st, Reddish has averaged 13.3 points, 1.1 steals and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 40 percent from three.
Even when his shot wasn’t falling early in the year, Reddish was playing good perimeter defense and that has only improved. If you don’t include Clint Capela who has yet to suit up for Atlanta, Cam is probably the best overall defender on the team.
Round two, pick 34: Bruno Fernando
The Hawks gave up three second-rounders to move up and take Fernando in last year’s draft, who has been so-so this season. The Maryland center probably should have spent a few weeks in the G-League, but with the Hawks’ thin roster, he was getting playing time in the NBA from the start.
He’s averaged 12.7 minutes in 56 games played this year, and has been streaky offensively. He’s made over 60 percent of his two-point attempts but continues to take deep shots despite shooting just 13 percent from three.
On defense, he’s been more sturdy, but there’s also room for improvement. He’s never going to rack up big block numbers but can be intimidating down low, especially against smaller guards. He has the best defensive rating of any active Hawk.
Bruno has been disappointing, but not enough that the Hawks have to panic trade him or anything this offseason. He’ll have his chance and just needs to polish his game.
The Atlanta Hawks will carry the 4th-best lottery odds into the summer, and hitting on this pick could finally dig them out of the rebuilding hole.