The Atlanta Hawks took the win on the New York Knicks at Maddison Square Gardens. While this was on of the worst games Delon Wright has played since the Cam Reddish trade, there is a case to be made for him to make it into the starting lineup.
Fortunately, his play since the Reddish trade has shown why head coach Nate Mcmillan and the Atlanta Hawks front office wanted Wright at the franchise. He relied on his defense originally to get on the court for the franchise, then he grew in confidence at the offensive end after Reddish was moved.
Then Wright played that game against the Memphis Grizzlies where he simply dominated the opening period. It was this game which cemented the idea in my head that it should be Delon Wright starting for the Hawks over Kevin Huerter and Bogdan Bogdanovic. Let’s take a look at why this is the case.
The Atlanta Hawks need the versatility of Delon Wright in the starting lineup.
While Kevin Huerter has been good for the Hawks as a starter, Wright is the best defender at the two guard position on the team. While Trae Young has improved his defense out of sight in the second half of the season, Wright is the type of player who will sacrifice his game for the team meaning Young can rest a little more at that end.
He is also capable of being the secondary ball-handler as he has been entrusted with these resposibilities with the second unit all season. This will allow Young to get more rest when on court, also making him more dangerous when he comes off screens as a spot up shooter.
While his shooting is not as good as Huerter’s or Bogdanovic’s, this is taken care of by the Hawks starting Danilo Gallinari who is one of the most versatile big men in the NBA. While Wright’s defense will be missed from the second unit, he will benefit the starting unit more.
The ball handling on the second unit will be shared around between Huerter, Bogdanovic and Lou Williams which will make them even harder to stop. Added to this the benefit of Huerter’s size now that Collins is out for a while and Gallinari is in the starting unit, and the Hawks have still got one of the most dangerous second units.
Both Bogdanovic and Huerter are starting calibre players who can have their way against most opposition reserve units which will in turn help the starting unit. Add to this the thought of Wright starting alongside De’Andre Hunter and Clint Capela and the first unit defense could become one of the best in the league.