Coming out of Virginia, De’Andre Hunter was touted as one of the best prospects in the 2019 NBA Draft after helping the Cavaliers win the 2019 NCAA Championship Landry Fields, and the front office traded multiple picks to the New Orleans Pelicans to acquire him on draft night. After years of ups and downs due to injuries, he has finally turned the corner in year six.
Hunter has adopted a new role as 6th man after Head Coach Quin Snyder inserted No.1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher into the starting lineup to acclimate him to the league faster, and Hunter has flourished off the bench. He is the only player in the league averaging 20 points per game off the bench while shooting 43% from beyond the arc and 86% from the free throw line.
He recently had the best scoring stretch of his entire career. From November 27th to January 1st, he scored 15+ points in 16 straight games. He accomplished this while playing less, which has allowed him to rest his knee more during the games and not strain himself with 35+ minutes of nightly play.
His offensive explosion earned him league-wide notoriety, and NBA Media pundits believe he is a strong candidate to win the Sixth Man of the Year award. Alongside Hunter, Payton Pritchard of the Boston Celtics has played terrifically in TD Garden night after night. Even though Hunter is averaging 20 off the bench, Pritchard is averaging 15.6 points and 3.4 assists while shooting 43% from beyond the arc, similar to Hunter.
Pritchard has accumulated three double-doubles off the bench and came close to a triple-double on all three occasions. He is known for his scoring, but his playmaking has taken center stage this season, shining in his role as backup point guard for the future. The two of them have played outstanding in different ways for their respective teams, and at this rate, it will be a razor-close decision when the winner is declared at the end of the season.
What De’Andre Hunter Has To Accomplish To Defeat Pritchard & Other Contenders.
As of January 8th, the Atlanta Hawks are 19-18 after defeating the Utah Jazz to rebound from a three-game losing streak to the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Clippers. Hunter underperformed in the first two games but recovered with 18 points in the 131-105 loss to the Clippers. Ironically, Pritchard had some poor performances in November and December, so both frontrunners experienced mid-season adversity.
Regardless of his point totals, he continues to play good defense, especially with newly added Dyson Daniels by his side on the perimeter. Adding Daniels has allowed Hunter to shine in more favorable positional matchups rather than defending a quicker, more agile guard on a mismatch. Now, with more help, he has shined as one of the best 3-D wings in the entire league, and he must keep it up if he truly wants to be Sixth Man of the Year.
Other candidates, such as Amen Thompson and Malik Beasley, are also having good seasons. Hunter is a better scorer than Thompson and a better Defender than Beasley, so if he remains healthy, he will continue to outshine both. Pritchard is his biggest threat, considering his offensive versatility and team record. The defending champions sit atop the Eastern Conference with a 27-10 record, and team success is a major deciding factor.
It can be equated to the player’s impact on winning, but for Hunter, it is a circumstantial disadvantage due to the health status of the Hawks roster. Former first-round pick Kobe Bufkin is out for the season after receiving shoulder surgery. Second franchise player Jalen Johnson is also missing time due to a shoulder injury. Onyeka Okongwu and Bogdan Bogdanovic just returned from their injuries, although both players have missed significant time due to injuries.
The injuries have resulted in numerous losses that would’ve been victories if the Hawks were healthy. Regardless of the 19-18 record, Hunter’s impact can’t be diminished, as the Hawks are 16-10 in the games he's played when healthy. His body has held up thus far, and he has gotten better at absorbing contact. On December 19th, he dunked on DPOY candidate Victor Wembanyama, which caught a lot of attention around the league.
Head Coach Quin Snyder’s system has unlocked a new level of his game. On December 28th, Snyder praised Hunter for his progression after a 120-110 win over the Miami Heat.
“He’s bought into what we're doing. Shooting transition threes has been something; he can shoot, and he's always been able to shoot, but I think that his recognition of where those places are, what times in the game where he can be even more aggressive,” Snyder said. “ He doesn't hesitate right now, and I think his willingness to shoot threes, sometimes contested threes, with his size, and then the aggressiveness with how he's attacking the rim. Those two things in my mind really set up the other part of this game where he does have the ability to rise up and hit a contested mid-range shot."
As of January 8th, Pritchard is the betting favorite (-230) to win the Sixth Man of the Year award, according to numerous sportsbooks such as FanDuel & DraftKings. Both candidates have made strong cases, and Hunter has shown no signs of slowing down. It’s been 15 years since legendary sixth man Jamal Crawford won the Award while playing for the Hawks, and Hunter is likely the next.