When the Atlanta Hawks traded Danilo Gallinari and draft capital to the San Antonio Spurs, they got back Jock Landale and Dejounte Murray. While Landale was only on the roster for two days, Murray was the piece that the Hawks needed to change their fortunes after a more than disappointing season.
He has shown that he is not just a follower this season, sounding off on his old team and then he made the No. 1 draft pick of this season look silly in a pro-am game. Fortunately, Murray is not just a loose cannon, squashing the beef with Paolo Banchero at the first public opportunity.
There is no question as to Murray’s level of talent. He made his first All-Star team last season and his role within the Hawks franchise is going to be sharing the playmaking duties with Trae Young and also being the primary perimeter defender when he is on the court.
The Atlanta Hawks could be anything with Dejounte Murray in the fold.
Given that Murray was fourth in the league last season for assists per game and Young was third, it is reasonably safe to say that the ball is going to move around. This could make the Hawks’ offense one of the most difficult to defend in the entire league.
On top of that, Murray is going to take the toughest opposition wing every night meaning that De’Andre Hunter will get to play on the second-best. This should mean that the no-names who kept beating the Hawks last season should not have the same ability to roam free. Now, let’s take a look at the three goals for Dejounte Murray for his first season as a Hawks player.