Four major predictions for the 2022/23 Atlanta Hawks

3) Trent Forrest can evolve into the Hawks’ backup point guard.

Opinions on Forrest are polarizing, and this is understandable, given that he is a player who has spent the majority of his career on a two-way contract. That is no different this year, and it’s very likely that Forrest spends at least some amount of time in the G-League this year.

The Hawks, however, will be hoping for more strong development from the 24-year-old.

Following the loss of the talented and reliable Delon Wright to the Washington Wizards and with veteran Lou Williams unlikely to be brought back, a gap has emerged at the backup point guard position with Forrest and Aaron Holiday as the two main candidates to claim it.

Last year for the Jazz, Forrest saw an improvement in all of his important metrics from two seasons ago by increasing his minutes, points, assists, and rebounds per game all while upping his effective field goal percentage, albeit in a small sample size. These are promising signs for a young player.

Forrest is four inches taller and also has very similar defensive metrics to Holiday in fewer minutes. This could lead to Hawks head coach Nate McMillan eventually seeing Forrest as a more reliable defensive option to spell the offensive-minded Trae Young.

These two relatively young guards, Holiday and Forrest, also have nearly identical numbers in terms of win shares and player efficiency rating. This means the battle for the backup spot is one to keep an eye on even if Dejounte Murray, the Hawks likely starting shooting guard, gets opportunities to lead the second unit.