The Atlanta Hawks have had an injury-riddled season. One player who has been able to play all games is Kevin Huerter. The third-year pro out of Maryland has played 36 games, averaging 12.1 points, 3.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 32.1 minutes per game.
His shooting efficiency has plateaued this season, going at 42.6 percent from the floor, 36.5 percent from deep, and 82.4 percent from the line. These numbers compare well to his career numbers of 41.8 percent from the floor, 37.9 percent from deep, and 79.2 percent from the line.
Huerter spent the first part of the season coming off the bench and had several games where he was the lone bright spot for the Hawks. When the injury bug hit the wing position Huerter became a starter almost by default but he has owned the role.
Kevin Huerter’s lowlights and highlights for the Atlanta Hawks this season.
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Because Huerter has been spare parts man for the Hawks there have not been too many negatives for the season. However, there was one patch in the middle of February where Huerter struggled with his shot from deep.
He had five games in a row where he did not hit over 25.0 percent from deep. He went 6-of-30 from downtown which is only good for 20.0 percent. Fortunately, the Hawks went 2-3 in that stretch so the impact was not too great.
For me, the highlight of Huerter’s season has been the three double-doubles he has collected. Yes, they have all been in losses but that is no reflection on Huerter. In the games against the Dallas Mavericks and the Indiana Pacers, Trae Young was forced to give the ball up due to trapping defense.
Huerter showed that he has the ability to create plays for himself and others. His play helped the Hawks lose by only six points against the Pacers and 12 points to the Mavericks without Young’s usual impact. The ten rebound double-double shows that Huerter will give the team what it needs every time that he steps on the court.
The grade for Kevin Huerter’s first half of the season for the Atlanta Hawks.
As mentioned earlier, Huerter is trying to give the team what it needs every time that he hits the floor. As a result, he will never average high numbers in any one category. As a result, he gets graded on his impact on the team.
Grade: B+