The Atlanta Hawks have had another offseason for the ages. Travis Schlenk has managed to overhaul the roster without losing too many key players. At the start of the offseason, it was tough to see both John Collins and De’Andre Hunter staying on the squad. However, Schlenk worked diligently and made the squad better, keeping most of the core.
Given how well Hunter played in the first round of the playoffs last season, teams should have been blowing Schlenk’s phone up. Instead, the Hawks front office boss went to work negotiating a contract with Hunter. The two parties are yet to meet at a happy place for both parties but there is still time to get the rookie extension done before the season starts.
What a season it has the potential to be. Adding an All-Star into the starting lineup alongside Trae Young is going to make life easier for the rest of the starters. I mean, Bleacher Report rated Hunter as the Hawks’ weakest starter. That means that the franchise is in a really good place.
De’Andre Hunter needs to show the Atlanta Hawks his value
While the two parties are about $20 million apart, the Hawks and Hunter need to come together before the season starts. They do not need any distractions as they attempt to navigate a full NBA season plus playoffs with the best team that they have had in a long time.
Not only that, the Hawks need to have Hunter stay healthy as he is a crucial piece of their roster who is able to have a huge impact on both ends of the court. Now, let’s take a look at three goals for De’Andre Hunter for the 2022-23 season.
Goals for Atlanta Hawks wing De’Andre Hunter No. 1) Continue his success from the playoffs.
Hunter was one of the few players who gave the Hawks hope during their loss in the first round to the Miami Heat. The last game of the series really highlighted what Hunter is capable of but he did not have any teammates go with him.
Unfortunately for Hunter, his career has been interrupted and this has hindered his development within the team. His rookie season was heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, this showed his work ethic. He spent this time in the gym at home, working on his body. Hunter then had massive injury issues in his sophomore season and also missed 29 games last year.
Now that he went into an offseason playing rather than having surgery, Hunter has the chance to work on his game. This is a massive change from the last two seasons and means that he can stand developing more skills like elite ball handling.
If Hunter can continue to produce performances like those in the playoffs, then this team, assuming everyone stays healthy, is going on a deep playoff run. This has all the hallmarks of a career year for the 4th pick in the 2019 NBA draft.
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.
Goals for Atlanta Hawks wing De’Andre Hunter No. 3) Become the true third option
There are so many players on this roster who could be considered a true third option on many teams around the league. John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic both have the potential to take this role for the Hawks as both are borderline stars.
However, if Hunter is able to take this status then the Hawks will become so difficult to beat. Hunter needs to back his ability to be a three-level scorer. He has a really nice stroke from the perimeter, he has the strength to back a smaller opponent down, and the ability to get to the free throw line.
He does need to improve his percentage from the charity stripe but that appears to be confidence related rather than an issue with his stroke. It is this level of confidence that has the potential to see Hunter be a good player compared to him being a great player.
The addition of Murray is going to certainly help the game of Trae Young. However, he is also going to help elevate other members of the squad as well. Hunter needs to do all that he can to be the third option, a championship may result if he does.