The Atlanta Hawks may have lost their latest game, but they put up quite a fight without the help of Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, and Dyson Daniels. In a 100–92 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, De’Andre Hunter led the charge with a career-high 35 points.
As undermanned as they were, the Hawks needed every bit of Hunter’s production on Monday night. Hunter shot 12-of-21 from the field and 4-of-8 from 3-point range. The Sixth Man of the Year candidate is up to 19.2 points per game this season, second-best on the Hawks behind Ice Trae.
CAREER HIGH 35 FOR DRE pic.twitter.com/CvkawdiDyb
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 28, 2025
After Hunter’s career night, Quin Snyder praised the former No. 4 pick for putting the team on his back when they needed it most. Snyder, who has coached Hunter for almost three seasons, recognized his all-around skill set that fueled his impressive performance.
“He was aggressive from three – I think when we run and get the ball advanced quickly, those shots are there because the defense is trying to get back and he’s spaced,” Snyder said. “I thought when they did close out on him, he was able to get in the lane. He can rise up, hit those short midrange twos. And he went to the rim.
“He did all those different things. I thought his reads were really good. Tonight was a night, obviously with a few other guys unable to play, that the team needed that. He took them on his shoulders.”
De’Andre Hunter is having the best season of his career
Hunter has always possessed a versatile skill set, but the two-way talent has evolved as a scorer. Within Atlanta’s new-look offense, he is shooting a career-high 40.3% from three on a career-high 6.6 attempts a game.
Hunter has surpassed his previous career-high scoring average by nearly four points while receiving the fewest minutes per game of his career. He is also exclusively coming off the bench for the first time. Hunter only started in two contests to kick off the season before Snyder moved him to the bench.
The Hawks’ second unit has thrived with Hunter at the helm. Atlanta’s bench ranks top three in scoring with 43.2 points per game. The second unit also ranks top 10 in field goal percentage and 3-point percentage.
As he enjoys the season of his life, Hunter should have another important goal in mind: stay healthy. He has missed 14 games for the Hawks this season with knee and foot injuries, but his recent spike in availability is encouraging to see.
The Hawks sit two games below .500 right now, but they are 17-15 this season when Hunter plays. Atlanta will need all hands on deck after the All-Star break. Hunter and his squad are just 1.5 games back from a top-six seed, but they will face a tough stretch of opponents ahead of the February break.
With many of his teammates banged up by the injury bug, Hunter may need to continue his higher-usage role for the Hawks moving forward.