What awards could Hawks players be in contention for at the end of the season?
By Alec Terry
Bogdan Bogdanović - 6th Man Of The Year
One of the biggest difference makers for the Hawks this season has been Bogdan Bogdanović.
Bogdanović has had an absolute monster of a season coming off the bench this year for the Hawks. In games where he has come off the bench, Bogdanovic is averaging 17 PPG in 27 minutes and shooting 36.9% from three on eight three-point attempts per game.
When compared to the players who also qualify for this award, Bogdanovic’s stats are good for third in PPG behind Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jordan Clarkson, whilst his three-point percentage has him roughly fourth only slightly behind Malik Monk, Bennedict Mathurin, and Norman Powell. Bogdanovic is also making the second most threes per game out of players that qualify with Tim Hardaway Jr. again just 0.1 three-pointers made per game ahead of him.
Not only is his offensive impact off the bench absolutely huge but his defensive impact is also noticeable as, out of players that qualify, Bogdanovic is first in steals with 1.3 SPG off the bench. This impact on both ends of the floor Bogdanovic makes off the bench is wholly noticeable when you watch the Hawks play too, as his fit with Young is amazing because of the spacing he provides and his ability to pull the trigger on his shots so quickly. This allows Young to work the defense and know he always has the option of Bogdanovic for a quick trigger 3-pointer.
He also fits so well with Dejounte Murray as he doesn’t clog up the paint or the mid-range when off the ball and he allows Murray to work himself into those mid-range jumpers and attacks to the rim that he can execute so well.
When you look at how well Bogdanovic compliments this team, despite the struggles we are currently having, and you look at how he stacks up next to all other contending players for this award, it is definitely possible that we could see Bogdanović as a Sixth Man of the Year contender come the end of the season. If the Hawks get a run together and Bogdanovic continues having absolute heaters off the bench then I could see him being a finalist for this award and potentially winning it.