Much of the time following the Atlanta Hawks exit from the 2021 NBA Playoffs has been spent on their surprise run and Trae Young’s ascension into superstardom. Cam Reddish recently got shown a little love for his historic debut postseason run. But, it’s the pairing of him and another Hawks wing that’s tantalizing.
De’Andre Hunter came back for the final three games of the regular season and the first playoff series before needing to be shut down for the remainder of the season.
He averaged just 10.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in his short postseason debut, but he was efficient. Hunter shot 40 percent from the floor, 37.5 percent from three-point range, and 75 percent from the free-throw line.
Atlanta Hawks forwards De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish boast the kind of two-way potential rarely seen in today’s NBA
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That 37.5 percent might not seem like much, but it ranked fourth on the Hawks who shot 33.8 percent as a team from deep in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Hunter’s offense had taken a significant leap before he suffered his knee injury during the regular season.
In the five games prior to going down, Hunter was averaging 22.4 points on 54 percent shooting, and 3.8 boards, while adding 3.2 assists and 2.0 steals.
He finished the postseason with the best plus-minus on the team.
With two highly skilled wing players, Nate McMillan must find more ways to get the pair on the floor at the same time. In today’s NBA, players with length, athleticism, and two-way skill sets are invaluable.
In over 300 minutes together during the regular season, the pair was plus-3.7 points, sixth-best of any duo on the Hawks. But all of those minutes came before McMillan replaced Lloyd Pierce as head coach and Hunter’s breakout stretch.
We’ve literally never seen these two play together under McMillan because Hunter’s comeback ended before Reddish’s debut began.
Reddish, for his part, has received lofty praise from his head coach comparing him to Paul George. Perhaps that makes Hunter Kawhi Leonard, though their styles differ greatly. What it does mean is the Hawks could boast one of the better forward duos in the NBA next season.
With both back fully healthy in 2022, they will make life tough for opponents on both ends of the court. They’re just another reason this season should be viewed as the beginning for Atlanta.