Has Garrison Mathews done enough to stay with the Atlanta Hawks?

The Atlanta Hawks have a large number of decisions that they need to make in the offseason. There are rumors about trading Dejounte Murray and Trae Young. There are also schools of thought that the Hawks should move on from Clint Capela and De'Andre Hunter.

However, it is not just the top end of the roster that the Hawks need to be considering what they need to work on. Saddiq Bey needs to be re-signed as his play has pushed Hunter to the bench. On top of that, the Hawks need to decide if they are going to guarantee Bruno Fernando's deal as well.

However, the decision-making process that we are going to focus on today is what the Hawks are going to do with Garrison Mathews. This is Mathews' first full season with the Hawks and he has carved out a niche for himself. However, the question needs to be asked, has he done enough to justify the Hawks picking up his team option for next season?

Why should the Atlanta Hawks guarantee Garrison Mathews contract?

So, why should the Hawks spend $2.2 million on Garrison Mathews next season? Well, for a start, $2.2 million on one player is certainly going to help their salary cap space issues. If they can move on from one of their bigger contracts, then having a contributing player on a minimum deal is going to be very helpful.

Mathews has shown that he is not afraid to put in the hard work. While he is not the most talented player, he sticks to what he knows and gives everything he has got. One example of this is his defense. Mathews is not your best defender, but he is adept at drawing charges as he is always willing to put his body on the line for his team.

He is also a solid 3-point shooter, hitting 42.3 percent of his 104 attempts for the season. Mathews has only taken 114 attempts from the floor, meaning that only 10 have been from inside the arc. He is a cog in the offense, but certainly not a player who is going to hurt you one-on-one.

Mathews knows his role with the Hawks, which is another crucial element as to why the Hawks should consider picking up the team option for next season. 97.7 percent of his 3-point field goals are assisted, meaning he is happy to space the floor. With his 42.3 percent accuracy, Mathews also knows the right shot to take.

This means that, in my opinion, the Hawks should pick up Mathews' team option. He has the right work ethic and is a good glue guy, the kind a team like the Hawks need.