After a disappointing fourth season, it’s time for the Atlanta Hawks to move on from DeAndre’ Bembry.
The Atlanta Hawks took swingman DeAndre’ Bembry with the 21st overall pick of the 2016 draft, with the team hoping he’d fill the coveted 3-and-D role for them. After a rookie season that saw Bembry be a consistent receiver of DNP’s, his minutes picked up in his second year, averaging nearly 20 minutes per game when healthy.
He’d had played less than 900 minutes of NBA ball coming into his third season, and it was still unknown whether or not he’d work out. Bembry became a high-volume bench piece for the Hawks in ’18-’19, playing in all 82 games and flashing passable defense – which looked better than it actually was given the lack of defensive talent around him.
His third season in the league proved, at the very least, that Bembry was a rotational NBA player despite his obvious flaws on offense.
Last summer, however, the Hawks took De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish, two young studs who play the same position and fit into the same 3-and-D mold as Bembry. The writing was on the wall for the 25-year-old wing, and he’d need to make the most of his fourth season to secure a spot in the rotation moving forward.
That just simply did not happen, with Bembry’s numbers dropping across the board, suddenly losing the “3” from his 3-and-D playstyle. He shot 23 percent from deep this season and wasn’t shy about continuing to take them.
Worse, Reddish and Hunter came in and instantly played better defense than Bembry, losing the one thing he used to be able to hang his hat on. He suffered what ended up becoming a season-ending injury in late January.
He’ll enter restricted free agency this October, and while he could be had for cheap, the Atlanta Hawks should stay away. The Hawks need to add more shooting to play around Trae Young and it’s clear Bembry isn’t that.
Further, if they do bring Bembry back, they’ll have limited roster space to make improvements. Nine players are already under contract for next season, and a re-signing of Bembry would only give them two, maybe three open rotation spots for their free agency signings and draft picks.
Not ideal for a team with playoff aspirations.
I do think Bembry will get another chance on an NBA team, and he’s nowhere near the worst Atlanta Hawk in recent memory. He just doesn’t fit into the team’s future.
Do you think the Atlanta Hawks should re-sign DeAndre’ Bembry?