Soaring Down South
Fansided

Atlanta Hawks: 3 big trades to upgrade the center position

By Joshua Buckhalter

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - MAY 05: Jonas Valanciunas #17 of the Memphis Grizzlies defends against Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first quarter of the game at Target Center on May 5, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - MAY 05: Jonas Valanciunas #17 of the Memphis Grizzlies defends against Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first quarter of the game at Target Center on May 5, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Atlanta Hawks possible upgrade at center No. 2: Myles Turner offers rim protection and range at some expense of crashing the boards

Myles Turner has been mentioned here before briefly concerning a potential move at center for the Hawks. The 6-foot-11 former Texas Longhorn just turned 25 and has led the NBA in blocks twice in the last three seasons. He’s also a career .770 percent free-throw shooter, including .782 this past season, checking off two boxes on our list.

Add Turner’s range — his 33.5 percent from deep was his lowest since his 2016 — and that’s rim protection at one end and the ability to pull the opposing center away from the basket.

Hawks fans saw how effective that skill set was with Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis of the Milwaukee Bucks. The duo essentially allowed the Bucks guards to attack the paint freely with little resistance from Atlanta bigs caught in a bad way.

https://twitter.com/Original_Turner/status/1406803672823218176

Turner’s rebounding numbers aren’t great and, while some of that can be attributed to playing alongside another prominent big, that has only been for the last two years. So it’s doubtful he would help the Hawks, who were 12th in the postseason in defensive rebound percentage, in that regard.

You can more easily attribute his suppressed scoring to the talent around him. But with his talent, you’d still like to see more aggression consistently.

Again, this is an area where the Hawks can lean into their head coach. McMillan was an assistant when Turner arrived in Indiana and was his head coach for four years before joining the Hawks. Don’t underestimate the impact he and a different setup offensively can have.

The Hawks have enough shooters that he wouldn’t have to post up outside to open up the lane. His range will come into play in transition where he can knock down shots as a trailer.

Home/Hawks News