The impact of Dejounte Murray becoming a member of the Atlanta Hawks
How the Atlanta Hawks defense can benefit from Dejounte Murray
Considering that Murray entered the league defensively, this is where the Hawks are going to see the greatest benefit from this trade. In just his second season, Murray was named to the All-Defensive team in just his second season.
On top of that, Murray led the league in steals per game last season. This is certainly going to help the Hawks’ defense which was the area that let them down the most last season. Slotting Murray alongside De’Andre Hunter and Clint Capela in the starting lineup will go a long way to fixing this issue.
If the Hawks are able to re-sign Delon Wright then his combination with Murray when the second unit hits the floor is going to make the Hawks tough to score against. If you then add Onyeka Okongwu to this mix, there will be no respite for the opposing teams. This three-man lineup has a chance at leading the entire league in deflections this season.
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It may take a little time for Murray to develop chemistry with his new teammates, but that is always going to be the case. However, he is the right age and he already has Young excited to be his teammate which is always going to help. One thing that is exciting is that this move is almost certain to guarantee the Hawks a top-four team next season in the Eastern Conference.