Former Atlanta Hawks star may have been best ‘3&D’ player

The Atlanta Hawks sent swingman Kevin Huerter to the Sacramento Kings in a cost-cutting move after trading for Dejounte Murray. Huerter has called the trade his “welcome to the NBA moment”. The Hawks figure to have a better defense at the point of attack next season with Murray next to Young.

But Huerter’s two-way abilities may have been undersold this past season. He had drawn praise from his head coach, Nate McMillan, last offseason for often taking the toughest defensive assignment.

Huerter became the Hawks’ premier perimeter defender in De’Andre Hunter’s absence as the Hawks ran to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Those same skills were on display this past season to much less fanfare.

Kevin Huerter was the ‘foundational archetype’  role player for the Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta traded Huerter to Sacramento for a package that included forwards Justin Holiday and Mo Harkless as well as a lottery-protected first-round pick in 2024. That could turn out to be even more of a quantity over quality maneuver than anticipated despite the ways that both Harkless and Holiday can help next season.

The first-round pick being at least two years out could hurt the overall value of the package they got in return for Huerter.

Especially if the Kings continue being, well, the Kings.

Specific to Huerter, NBA University used an advanced analytics website, The Basketball Index, to plot out the best “three-and-D” players in the NBA last season. Huerter appears to have been not only the Hawks’ best but one of the NBA’s best supporting players last season.

Only two players embodied the mold of a three-and-D player than Huerter last season: Lonzo Ball of the Chicago Bulls and Fred VanVleet of the Toronto Raptors.

Huerter appeared in 74 regular season games to Ball’s 35 this past season and has surpassed the 65-game mark in three of his first four seasons. Ball’s career-high in appearances is 63 games which he has only done once.

The 6-foot-7 Huerter also stands six inches taller than the Raptors floor general.

That gives him greater positional versatility on both ends of the floor. He also shot a better percentage from beyond the arc – essential to this discussion.

Huerter, 23, is also the youngest of the three which, presumably, gives him more room to improve. That is what the Hawks were banking on when they signed him to a four-year, $63 million extension last season.

Their step back this past season changed their logic somewhat.

Hunter — who is up for an extension of his own — drew tougher assignments. But he did not match Huerter’s catch-and-shoot ability.

Bogdan Bogdanovic, John Collins, Trae Young, and former Hawks (and current Boston Celtics forward Danilo Gallinari) are all visible on the chart as well with each falling about where one would expect.

The Hawks will still put a formidable defense on the floor on a nightly basis between Murray, Hunter – who is up for an extension of his own) – and Clint Capela on the back line.