Ranking the last 10 Atlanta Hawks first-round picks
By Nate Friesen
7. DeAndre’ Bembry
DeAndre’ Bembry is the first guy on this list that is still on the team. Bembry was a solid pick at 21st overall in 2016 NBA draft. In his four seasons with the team, Bembry has become a consistent part of the Hawks rotation by providing a defensive spark off the bench.
While Bembry only averaged 5.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game this season, he provides elite perimeter defense and incredibly consistent effort. He averaged 1.3 steals per game this season which led this Hawks team and he did so in just 21.3 minutes per game per Basketball-Reference.
The only thing that really holds Bembry back from getting more minutes is his abysmal three-point shot. This season Bembry shot 23.1 percent from three on 1.5 attempts per game. It’s honestly impressive that he can get out on the court at all with that kind of three-point percentage in today’s NBA. It really says a lot about how good the rest of his game is.
If Bembry is able to get somewhat of a functional three-point shot he could follow in the footsteps of guys like Marcus Smart or Patrick Beverley. This would almost certainly result in DeAndre’ Bembry having really long and successful NBA career (hopefully for the Hawks).