Atlanta Hawks: 1 stud and 1 dud from the season opener
Atlanta Hawks dud from season opener: Kevin Huerter had a poor shooting night
On a night when the Hawks big-money guys were putting up pretty scoring totals, one of their best scorers struggled on the way to six points. Kevin Huerter just signed his four-year, $65 million deal on Monday.
Kevin Huerter averaged 11.9/3.3/3.5 last season; a modest line, sure. But he proved capable of much more throughout the year and again with a 27-point performance in Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers. The 6-foot-7 wing also proved to be a good defender, often sticking the opponent’s best player in the postseason thanks to injury.
He did manage to get six rebounds and a block.
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However, his two assists were negated by two giveaways. Worst of all he shot a paltry 37.5 percent from the floor and missed on every one of his three attempts from deep.
Huerter was 0-for-1 in a bit over nine minutes of action in the second half.
As one of the surprise injuries when training camp opened, there may still be some lingering effects from his ailing ankle. He missed the Hawks final preseason game and played just over 21 minutes against the Mavericks on Thursday.
At any rate, this isn’t something we would expect to continue. And he did find other ways to impact the game positively, finishing as a plus-six on the night.
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Still, it would be nice to see him come out in the Hawks next game as hot as his teammates were for this one.