Atlanta Hawks: 4 biggest surprises for the first full month of the season

Atlanta Hawks surprise No. 4)  The growth of De’Andre Hunter

More from Soaring Down South

• Start, Bench, Cut: Sorting through the Hawks’ power forward options
• Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic reacts to earning FIBA World Cup championship bid
• When does training camp start for the Atlanta Hawks?
• Grade the trade: Hawks deal Trae Young to Clippers in shocking proposal
• Dejounte Murray rips NBA 2K after Atlanta Hawks ratings reveal

While Cam Reddish has not taken the next step, De’Andre Hunter has taken a huge leap forward this season. He has shown that he has shown the potential to be the third cornerstone of the franchise alongside Clint Capela and Trae Young, assuming that John Collins moves on next season.

He has done this by putting in some serious work, by himself, this offseason. By getting stronger he is now able to be more forceful on offense, including getting to the rim and backing down smaller players.

Defensively, Hunter is taking on anybody and while he does not win every matchup, he is learning every time he takes the court. He has taken on some of the biggest names in the entire league this season and done an amazing job.

Hunter is gaining respect from the opposition thanks to his ability to score at all three levels. He is able to create space on this end of the floor by his off-ball movement. When he returns from injury, Hunter is going to make an even greater impact on the team.