Atlanta Hawks: 3 takeaways in second straight loss to the Hornets on historic night
Atlanta Hawks key No. 3) De’Andre Hunter is a fast learner
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The longer this season goes on, the greater my admiration for De’Andre Hunter gets. He has bulked up which he had to do in isolation and has the mindset of wanting the hardest defensive assignment every night.
Last game he was given Hayward and the Hornets small forward did what he pleased on his way to a career-high 44 points. It took veteran Solomon Hill to slow him down for the third period before Hayward exploded in the fourth.
In this game, Hunter again accepted the challenge of defending Hayward and the result was incredibly different. Hayward never seemed open and ended up with a stat line of 13 points, three assists, one rebound, and one block. He shot the ball at 6-of-14 from the floor which is good for 43.9 percent and 1-of-4 from deep which is good for 25.0 percent.
Hunter was brilliant at both ends of the court and if the Hawks could have won, he would have been the difference. Instead, Ball created history and helped the Hornets to their third straight victory and handed the Hawks their fourth straight loss.
Next. Clint Capela is playing as advertised. dark
Despite this, Hunter is going to take a lot of confidence out of the job he did on Hayward and so he should. The improvement in his game is one of the best in the NBA this season and if he keeps learning as fast as he appears to be he will be in line for Most Improved Player this season.