The Atlanta Hawks made two solid selections in the 2023 NBA draft. Their first-round pick was Kobe Bufkin who is projected to play minutes behind the superstars of the backcourt, Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. However, it is the second-round pick of Seth Lundy which is a good story.
In the era of one-and-done players, Lundy is a rare four-year college player. He will be coming into the league, assuming the Hawks sign him, as a 23-year-old. So, what makes this such a good story? Well to start with, Lundy is a 6’6″ forward in a league that is starting to be dominated by big men again.
All you have to do is look at the last three MVPs, the finals MVP, and the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. These are all centers and they are going to shape the league for years to come. Then you have the big guards like Josh Giddey and LaMelo Ball amongst many others, who are the same size as the forward. Lundy has almost made the league as a throwback-size forward.
Why is Atlanta Hawks forward Seth Lundy going to be a good fit?
Lundy is obviously not afraid of working hard, seeing a goal, and working towards it, no matter how far off it may seem. He was certainly never going to be a one-and-done player, only averaging 5.3 points and 2.7 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per game. He gave the basketball world a glimpse of what he could be by going 39.1 percent from deep on 2.8 attempts per game.
His second season for Penn State showed a marked improvement averaging 10.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.7 steals in 23.8 minutes per game. He had a greater role on offense and struggled a little with his 3-point shooting, going at 32.0 percent on 4.2 shot attempts from beyond the arc.
In his third season, Lundy became a full-time starter for the first time. He averaged 11.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 32.4 minutes per game. He more than held his own as a starter and shot 34.8 percent on 6.1 attempts per game.
When you look at Lundy’s fourth-season stats, he only showed a slight improvement in his raw stats. He averaged 14.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 0.8 steals in 31.7 minutes per game. However, looking at his accuracy from behind the line shows solid growth. He shot 40.0 percent on 6.4 attempts per game.
So, why is he a positive story for us all? Surely he is not just another second-round pick who may or may not make an NBA roster. Well, if you look at the work that Lundy has put in over the period of his four years of college, it certainly paid off. He never quit, working on the areas of his game that would yield him the best potential result, to be drafted.
Lundy is an example to all fringe-level talent that hard work pays off. Let’s hope that over Summer League the forward is able to impress the Atlanta Hawks coaching staff and get a contract for next season.