3 goals for Atlanta Hawks wing De’Andre Hunter

Goals for Atlanta Hawks wing De’Andre Hunter No. 2) Take the next step to become an elite defender.

During the Heat series, one of the national commentators made the observation that he did not believe that the Hawks had a truly elite defender. Naturally, I started shouting at the television that Clint Capela and Hunter were elite.

However, like with 3-point shooting, it is your reputation as much as the numbers that can define you as elite in this league. Hunter is a very good defender but has yet to cross that line to elite. I mean, when the Hawks played the Brooklyn Nets, the coaching staff preferred to use Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to guard Kevin Durant rather than Hunter.

Not only do you have to take the best player every night, but you also have to gain the respect of the officials. A player like Patrick Beverley is able to get away with more because of the latitude that the referees give him due to his reputation.

With the addition of Dejounte Murray, Hunter has the opportunity to build defensive chemistry with the former All-Defensive selection and Capela. If he can do this then Hunter has the potential to make an All-Defensive team which will go a long way to establishing his reputation as an elite defender.