When the Atlanta Hawks signed Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot to a non-guaranteed deal in the 2021 NBA offseason, he was a longshot to make the roster. Well, he beat Johnny Hamilton, A.J. Lawson, and Jahlil Okafor to be the last man standing for the 15th spot on the roster.
Being a wing on a deep roster that has plenty of talent at his position, it was not expected that he would garner much time on the court. With De’Andre Hunter out, he is one of the players who need to step up in the starting wing’s absence.
Where he is getting most of his court time is at the end of periods where the Hawks do not want to risk an injury or another foul on Kevin Huerter or Cam Reddish. Luwawu-Cabbarot is also getting minutes during junk time. Well, when junk time is the entire fourth period, he gets a chance to show that he is worth playing more minutes per game.
The Atlanta Hawks may need to give more minutes to Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot
Luwawu-Cabarrot has shown the ability to be a part of a successful team. He was a rotation piece for the Brooklyn Nets last season as well as the Philadelphia 76ers, OKC Thunder, and the Chicago Bulls in his five previous seasons.
The former 24th pick in the 2016 NBA draft only played half of the final period against the Memphis Grizzlies. He also only took two shots, making them both. TLC hit a 3-ball and one from inside the arc resulting in him scoring five points.
He also collected two rebounds in his time on the court which is well over his season average. The fifth-year man is also an above-average defender which means that he is not a liability at either end of the floor.
As the NBA season rolls on there is a good chance that he is going to earn more minutes with other players falling to injury. If he has formed some chemistry with his teammates prior to being relied upon.