Where the Atlanta Hawks need to develop Vit Krejci

The Atlanta Hawks are starting to develop a nice group of younger players. Their starters are a solid group but one of their biggest issues has been a lack of quality role-players. That is starting to change with the development of Kobe Bufkin and Bruno Fernando's continual energy injections on the court.

However, there is one player that the Hawks have shown some faith in over the past two seasons. His numbers don't show much, given that in the G League. Vit Krejci is only averaging 8.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 blocks in 30.1 minutes per game. His shooting is not that impressive either, going 40.2 percent from the floor, and 27.5 percent from deep this season.

However, with Krejci, it is not the numbers that are important. It is the impact that he has on the game. Krejci gives you a little bit of everything, he just needs to polish parts of his game. It is the little things that he does that give you so much on the court but there are some little things that he could do to be just a little bit better.

What can Vit Krejci do to improve with the Atlanta Hawks?

There are a lot of little things that a player can do to improve their game. These little one percent incremental improvements can add up to a solid career if they are built upon year after year. Krejci already does so many things well. He is able to make plays for himself and others, he can rebound, he can score. His assist game was en pointe against the New Orleans Pelicans

However, there was one sequence during the game against the Pelicans which sums up where Krejci needs to put in some work. Krejci turned the Pelicans over at half court. He raced to get the ball first and went to lay it in at the other end.

He managed to beat the primary transition defender and went gently to the rim, laying the ball into the hoop. Unfortunately for Krejci, Zion Williamson chased back hard and blocked the ball into the sixth row. One minor adjustment to this play and the Hawks have the potential to get the momentum, which was erased by the Williamson block.

If Krejci takes this hard to the hoop, dunking the ball then if Williamson comes over and attempts to block it, there is a strong chance of a foul against the star. This can impact a game down the stretch if Williamson is in foul trouble but in the short term, it would give the Hawks two points, with the potential of a third.

The other option that Krejci has is that he uses the rim to protect the ball, putting it off the backboard. If Williamson gets a hand to the ball, then it is still two points for the Hawks. This may seem small, one play for only two points in what was a blowout loss. However, this is what the Hawks need to do this season, they need to develop Krejci and others.

Just imagine, in five years time when the Hawks are going for a high seeding in the playoffs and Krejci is still finishing softly at the rim. A player comes and blocks the game winning layup and the Hawks miss a number four seed for example. Each and every learning opportunity over the next two or three seasons could come to fruition in crunch time moments in years to come.