Soaring Down South
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Atlanta Hawks: 6 prospects to keep an eye on during the Final Four

By Joshua Buckhalter

Mar 5, 2022; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Wendell Moore Jr. (0) drives to the basket as North Carolina Tar Heels guard Caleb Love (2) defends during the first half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2022; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Wendell Moore Jr. (0) drives to the basket as North Carolina Tar Heels guard Caleb Love (2) defends during the first half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Collin Gillespie and Caleb Love aren’t the best fits

This wasn’t some sort of Duke or Kansas love fest, they won’t be the only two teams playing this weekend. And, surely, both North Carolina and Villanova have NBA quality talent on their respective rosters. So why has it taken this long to get to them and why are they the least likely fits?

Simply put, position.

Both Collin Gillespie and Caleb Love are point guards. The Hawks not only have Young, but they also have local-product Sharife Cooper, the 48th-overall pick last June. Cooper has been biding his time in the G-League and could be in line for a move up next season.

The ill-fits for both players don’t stop there. Gillespie is a fifth-year senior who figures to max out as a backup that tries hard but is a marginal athlete.

He did knock down over 40 percent of his triples and was a 90-percent free-throw shooter while averaging 15.6 points per game. Gillespie also finished his collegiate career averaging 1.0 steals per contest. The only year he failed to average at least 1.0 takeaway was his freshman season when he started just one game.

Gillespie is averaging 13.3 points on 33.3 percent shooting (31.3% 3P) in the NCAA Tournament and will contribute to an NBA roster.

Love made tremendous strides from his freshman to sophomore seasons, going from 10.5 points on 41.7 percent true shooting as a freshman to 15.7 points on 51.8 percent true shooting this past season.

He’s averaging 18.0 points and shooting 37.1 percent from deep in the NCAA Tournament.

Next. Should the Hawks extend De’Andre Hunter this offseason?. dark

Even with that, and his defensive potential, there are similar players on the roster. Some feel that Mays has earned more time than he’s gotten with all of the injuries the Hawks have endured based on his play while filling in last season. The Hawks can extend the qualifying offer and make him a restricted free agent this summer but, perhaps, they reset that clock with Love.