The Atlanta Hawks had one of the best seasons in their history last season. In the 2020 offseason, the Hawks added a large amount of experience which meant that there were less reliant on the younger core from the season before.
However, this did not mean that De’Andre Hunter did not put in the extra work over the time between the shutdown of the 2019-20 season and the beginning of this 2020-21 season. He showed the ability to improve himself away from the team.
The result was that Hunter was a much-improved player, probably the second-best one on the team before he got hurt. Bleacher Report said Hunter is the most underrated Hawks player which fits in with the fact he played well enough at the start of the season to be considered the third cornerstone for the franchise.
The Atlanta Hawks missed De’Andre Hunter for most of the season.
The Hawks only had 23 games last season where they had the services of Hunter. HIs season was cruelled by a tear in his meniscus, which is a similar injury sustained by Joel Embiid in the playoffs last season. The Hawks did not want to risk Hunter’s career by playing him last season.
He underwent non-surgical procedures and ended up having two surgical procedures in an effort to be fully healthy for the upcoming season. The Hawks need Hunter fit and playing if they are going to challenge for the title next season. Given how well they played last season, that is a distinct possibility. This brings us to our first goal for De’Andre Hunter this season.