The all-important Year 5 for Hawks’ De’Andre Hunter
De’Andre Hunter working to improve
Another thing they noted in their scouting report was that he did not “…collect enough steals or blocks.” To their credit, Hunter has a career average of just 0.7 blocks and 0.3 steals per game. Hunter has never averaged at or over 1.0 steal or block per game. However, as was showcased in a previous article about Jalen Johnson, his impact on the defensive end is far greater than the stat sheet shows (at least the basic ones).
Throughout his career, Hunter has compiled a career 2.9 DWS (Defensive Win Shares), and his 6-foot-7 frame along with a 7-foot-2 wingspan allows him to easily keep himself in front of his defender. Unfortunately, the Hawks were in the bottom five in the league in opponents shooting percentage.
They allowed teams to shoot 48.7% from the floor which ranked 25th in the league.
There’s still a lot to be desired on the offensive end for De’Andre Hunter, but he’s proven to be a pretty solid perimeter defender
— 𝙉𝘼𝙅 (@najeeadams_) June 26, 2023
Excels in navigating screens and chasing guys around on defense.
Lakers should take a look for the right price
(via @The_BBall_Index) | #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/VhkMgG7mdx
His career DBPM (Defensive Box Plus-Minus) is a career minus-1.3, but that stat doesn’t reflect well individually as it is a team-oriented stat.
Another stat that can be misleading is his offensive vs defensive rating. For the past few seasons, Atlanta has had one of the best offenses in the league which does boost that stat.
On the other hand, Atlanta is known for having a not-so-great defense which directly affects his defensive rating being so high. Unfortunately, it is hard to show a player’s value on defense as most of the statistics are affected by team performance. However, most people would say Hunter is the best defender on the Hawks.