Should the Atlanta Hawks pursue Shabazz Napier as he returns from Russia
The Atlanta Hawks have a free roster spot after standing pat at the trade deadline. They have missed out on some of the big names who have been bought out and waived due to having a poor start to the season. They are therefore not attractive to veterans who are looking to win a championship at the end of their careers.
They have also missed out on some key role players who would have benefitted the team. A reunion with DeAndre’ Bembry would have been a positive outcome for the Hawks. Alas, this was not the case and he is now playing with the Milwaukee Bucks.
However, there is a case to be made for signing a player who has shown that they have the ability to play in the NBA but are out of the league at the moment. One such player is Shabazz Napier who was playing in Russia until that country invaded Ukraine per Woj of ESPN.
Why would the Atlanta Hawks take a punt on Shabazz Napier?
Napier has played with six teams in his six seasons in the league and has shown the ability to score in bunches. He has played a total of 345 NBA games averaging 7.1 points, 2.5 assists, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.8 steals in 17.4 minutes per game.
He is very accustomed to the reserve role having come off the bench 289 times in this span and he has been able to produce. His body type is slight, being only 6’0″ and 175 lbs so Napier relies on his quickness to create offense. This makes him a likely fit with the team as he plays a similar style to Trae Young, only he is not as talented.
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Napier is currently returning from an ankle injury but if the Hawks can get him in uniform for the next 20 odd games then they can assess his fit with the team. He will want to impress the Hawks coaching staff as a ticket to get back into the NBA. This could help the Hawks push towards the playoffs which is not a bad thing.