The Atlanta Hawks aren’t getting the same level of defense from De’Andre Hunter
The Atlanta Hawks (28-31) have a pretty big decision to make on fourth-year forward De’Andre Hunter this offseason. They have 23 games left on what is supposed to be one of the easiest remaining schedules in the NBA and fighting for a playoff spot. Neither the team nor Hunter can afford too many more nights as he had against the Bulls.
Hunter left the game in the second quarter with an illness. He finished the evening with just two points that came at the free-throw line. His floor game wasn’t really there as he shot 0-for-4 in 12 minutes.
It was even worse on the other end as he was on the receiving end of plenty of DeMar DeRozan’s 37 points before exiting.
De’Andre Hunter had a rough go against one of the game’s best scorers
Make no mistake, DeRozan has put numbers up on virtually everyone that has tried to stay in front of him. He gave them out just as efficiently against Kevin Huerter and hit the game-winner over Bogdan Bogdanovic. It’s why he is a legitimate MVP candidate for the first time in his 13-year career despite being a four-time All-Star coming into the year.
But that is exactly the kind of challenge the Hawks need and expect Hunter to at least slow down on a given night.
That did not happen on Thursday.
There were eight possessions where Hunter matched up with DeRozan as opposed to rotating onto him or covering for someone else getting blown by. The Bulls wing was 6–for-8 with 13 points on those possessions.
A couple of the makes were just good makes over some solid defense. But Hunter got caught up on screens multiple times and bit on DeRozan’s eyebrow fake on a couple of others. The fake is understandable – again, DeRozan gets most everyone he goes up against with that simple glance towards the basket.
Getting lost in the wash while trying to go under screens is inexcusable for the team’s best perimeter defender.
It’s not about three-point shooting either as the Bulls shot just 8-of-27 from long distance.
Not fighting over the screen gave DeRozan room to get to his spot and, for a tough-shot specialist, that is as good as a make. That’s how we ended up going 6-for-8 on Hunter with 13 points.
Hunter had more points put on his head than he scored. His rough night on the defensive end isn’t a one-off either and that is what is most concerning.
Related Story. The Hawks wasted Danilo Gallinari’s 4Q heroics vs CHI. light
At the simplest level, Hunter’s defensive rating is 9.5 points worse this season. His defensive box plus-minus would rank somewhere in the high-160s to low-170s range if he qualified for the leaderboard and is 2.2 points lower than it was last season. Hunter came into the year still on the mend from meniscus surgery and missed 26 games after needing wrist surgery.
NBA.com’s individual defensive metrics can be wonky. But they aren’t flattering.
Hunter has allowed 12 matchups to go for double-digits. The list is a veritable who’s-who of the league’s best scorers. The thing is that Hunter hasn’t really made much of a difference on their performance and, often, has allowed them to play above their season-long efficiency.
Of those 12, only three players shot 50.0 percent or worse – Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, and Russell Westbrook. Six shot 60.0 percent or better while two shot at least 80.0 percent.
That includes DeRozan.
Performances such as those against Doncic and Curry are too few and far between while Westbrook’s night was actually an improvement for the Lakers embattled point guard. He did shut down Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics. Still, that does not scream long-term investment and we haven’t even talked about his still shaky offense. Not to avoid it.
Zion Williamson’s situation is a big red flag. dark. Next
It just hasn’t mattered if he’s scored a lot of points or not, the Hawks have a losing record. What matters most going forward is his defense. And if he isn’t able to do his best work when it’s needed most, the Hawks decision on his future gets a little tougher.