The Atlanta Hawks announced the signing of their 13th player on the roster for the 2021-22 season, Frank Kaminsky. As per Woj of ESPN, Kaminsky has signed on with the Hawks on a one-year, minimum-salary deal.
This deal brings out mixed feelings. For one, Kaminsky is a 7’0″ player who has the ability to stretch the floor thanks to his ability to hit the long ball. On the other hand, Kaminsky went to the Joe Ingles barstool school of defense, which is to say that it is reminiscent of a sieve.
However, the good news for the Hawks is that they are likely not going to rely on Kaminsky much throughout the season. It is likely that he has taken on the Gorgui Dieng role, meaning that unless the Hawks sign another power forward, sophomore Jalen Johnson may be in line for a large chunk of playing time as the season unfolds.
The Atlanta Hawks may use Frank Kaminsky in a Danilo Gallinari role.
Kaminsky has been a part of the extremely successful Phoenix Suns outfit which made it to the NBA Finals two seasons ago. Admittedly he only played 47 games but he did start 13 of these. While he only averaged 6.6 points, he shot the 3-ball at 36.5 percent.
Last season started out quite well for the big man, averaging 10.6 points and 4.6 rebounds, but he only played nine games before a knee injury took him out for the rest of the season. The Suns then waived Kaminsky at the start of April this year.
The Hawks have bench minutes available after trading Danilo Gallinari and this could be where Kaminsky benefits the team. Gallinari was not known for his defense but he became one of the most important members of the second unit. With Kamisky’s shooting, he could take on some of this role.
Expect him to play more with Dejounte Murray rather than Trae Young. Murray is a tremendous defender and he could help hide Kaminsky when the two are on the court together. If both Kaminsky and Young are on the floor together at the same time then this could hurt the Hawks at the defensive end of the floor.