{"id":107751,"date":"2024-11-19T10:35:19","date_gmt":"2024-11-19T15:35:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=107751"},"modified":"2024-11-19T10:35:19","modified_gmt":"2024-11-19T15:35:19","slug":"hawks-unsung-deandre-hunter-flying-under-radar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/19\/hawks-unsung-deandre-hunter-flying-under-radar\/","title":{"rendered":"Hawks Unsung Hero Flying Under The Radar"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This always happens to him. This season, it\u2019s Atlanta Hawks two-way playmaker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/daniedy01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dyson Daniels<\/a>. In 2023-24, it was point-forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/johnsja05.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jalen Johnson<\/a>. In 2022-23, it was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/murrade01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dejounte Murray<\/a>, a pickpocketing point guard.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/huntede01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">De\u2019Andre Hunter<\/a>\u2019s contributions, particularly on the offensive end, are either overlooked or undervalued when there\u2019s a new shiny toy around.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\">Hawks Unsung Hero De\u2019Andre Hunter Flying Under The Radar<\/h2>\n<p>Hunter\u2019s not a point guard, point-forward, or even a playmaker. When the ball is in his hands, it\u2019s not usually with the intent of dropping dimes, but cashing out. On a team led by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/y\/youngtr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trae Young<\/a>, who has more career assists than even Dallas Mavericks prodigy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/doncilu01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luka Doncic<\/a>, this isn\u2019t a problem. In fact, throughout Young\u2019s time in at Atlanta, fans have been clamoring for a scorer who could take some weight off of the three-time All-Star\u2019s shoulders.<\/p>\n<p>That entire time, Hunter was right there.<\/p>\n<h3>Breaking Out Of His Shell<\/h3>\n<p>Selected fourth overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, Hunter didn\u2019t leave Virginia projected to be an elite scorer in the NBA. There was a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/leonaka01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kawhi Leonard<\/a>-like developmental upside, but that was his most high-end comparison. His career numbers are evidence of that, with the Pennsylvania native ranking 10th in his draft class in career points (3,833) and ninth in career points per game (14.4).<\/p>\n<p>This puts him below San Antonio Spurs sixth man <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/johnske04.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Keldon Johnson<\/a>, which isn\u2019t something to write home about as a No. 4 pick. However, he\u2019s ranked above some popular players, like Los Angeles Lakers forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hachiru01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rui Hachimura<\/a>. What that macro-observation doesn\u2019t capture though is Hunter\u2019s relatively steady development.<\/p>\n<p>In his first three regular seasons, Hunter was relatively stagnant, averaging 12.3 points per game as a rookie and 15.0 points per game as a sophomore before dropping back down to 13.4 points per game in 2021-22.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, all the while, Hunter had been demonstrating that he could take on a heavier load.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">2021 De&#8217;Andre Hunter was special, versatile defender who guarded the best players in the league while being an efficient secondary scorer out of PNR, mismatches in the post, and iso situations. Was effective off the ball as well, spotting up from 3 or cutting into space. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/6UposFEDv7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/6UposFEDv7<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hOjH1cfyj1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/hOjH1cfyj1<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 #InSnyderWeTrust (@dlee4three) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/dlee4three\/status\/1681003447385051137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 17, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>As a rookie, he had eight games with 20 or more points. The next season, he had his first 30-point game. In 2021-22, he scored 20 or more points in 11 games.<\/p>\n<h4>Shot Hunter<\/h4>\n<p>The problem was two-fold.<\/p>\n<p>Hunter wasn\u2019t hunting for his shot, but Young was pressing to get his. Between 2019-20 and 2021-22, Young has a 34.0 percent usage rate. For reference, Denver Nuggets three-time NBA MVP winner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jokicni01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nikola Jokic<\/a> has only had a usage rate over 30 percent once in his career.<\/p>\n<p>The 2022 NBA Playoffs changed everything. Or at least it was supposed to.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Most points scored by an individual player against the Miami Heat during this playoffs.<\/p>\n<p>De\u2019Andre Hunter (35)<\/p>\n<p>Looked like a different player confidence wise. That\u2019s usually a sign for a breakout coming. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lHxjTjWJSD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/lHxjTjWJSD<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 . (@KevinF3394) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KevinF3394\/status\/1537239185815351296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 16, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Young was struggling against the Miami Heat\u2019s stifling defense, averaging 15.4 points per game while shooting 31.9 percent from the field and 18.4 percent from deep. So Hawks former head coach Nate McMillan called on Hunter, who delivered. Breaking out of his shell, he averaged a team-high 21.2 points per game while shooting 55.7 percent from the floor and 46.7 percent from outside.<\/p>\n<p>Notably, this was the regular or postseason since Hunter\u2019s arrival that Young\u2019s usage rate (28.4) was below 30 percent.<\/p>\n<h3>That\u2019s The Thanks He Gets<\/h3>\n<p>Perhaps because of his performance in the 2022 NBA Playoffs, Hunter took a career-high 12.3 field goal attempts per game in 2022-23. However, the offense was being run not only through Young but Murray, who they traded four first round picks to acquire. With Young\u2019s usage rate going back to its normal level, even Murray had trouble adjusting.<\/p>\n<p>Though he shared the backcourt with another hybrid guard in San Antonio, Murray was fresh off an All-Star season in which he ranked top-20 in points per game (21.1) and top-five in assists per game (9.2) with a career-high 27.3 percent usage rate. That being said, the fit between him and Young was ultimately bound to be clunky because they both needed a lot of usage to be at their best. Both earnestly tried to make it work but it wasn\u2019t natural for either player.<\/p>\n<p>All the while, Hunter was skulking in the shadows. Here was a player that could score but didn\u2019t need to dominate possessions as a facilitator as well. In fact, he scored 20 or more points in 16 games in 2022-23.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">At the 6 PM ET buzzer: Atlanta Hawks forward De&#8217;Andre Hunter has agreed on a four-year, $95 million contract extension, his agents Thad Foucher and Joe Smith of <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wassbasketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@Wassbasketball<\/a> tell ESPN. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mDm6hZTosm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/mDm6hZTosm<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wojespn\/status\/1582159762782756864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 18, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Yet, just months after agreeing to a four-year contract extension with the Hawks, they were trying to trade him.<\/p>\n<h4>Living On The Trade Block<\/h4>\n<p>First, it was rumored that the Indiana Pacers had <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/bradley-beal-situation-highlights-the-volatility-challenges-of-striking-a-deal-with-draft-free-agency-on-the-horizon-151801680.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">discussed a deal for him<\/a> at the 2023 trade deadline. Prior to the 2023 NBA Draft, they were <a href=\"https:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/articles\/10080062-brs-final-2023-nba-mock-draft-full-2-round-predictions\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reportedly interested in<\/a> trading Hunter so that they could get 2022 No. 16 pick <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/griffaj01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AJ Griffin<\/a> more playing time. Once again, the Pacers were said to be involved in these talks, and <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/2023-nba-draft-how-the-memphis-boston-washington-deal-shifted-the-trade-market-145359265.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a deal did fall apart<\/a>. The Detroit Pistons were also hot on Hunter\u2019s trail, and Atlanta had trade discussions with the Dallas Mavericks as well.<\/p>\n<p>Months later, the Toronto Raptors were <a href=\"https:\/\/hoopshype.com\/lists\/nba-rumors-pascal-siakam-trade-talks-expansion-warriors-celtics-wizards-wolves-rockets-heat\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">revealed as a potential destination<\/a> with the Hawks hoping for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/siakapa01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pascal Siakam<\/a> trade. It wasn\u2019t Hunter that was the hangup in this deal but 2023 No. 15 pick <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bufkiko01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kobe Bufkin<\/a>. With the Cleveland Cavaliers having interest in Hunter around <a href=\"https:\/\/marcstein.substack.com\/p\/more-from-the-nba-trade-season-grapevine\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the 2024 trade deadline<\/a>, they were likely another team Atlanta spoke to.<\/p>\n<p>If that\u2019s the thanks he gets from his own team, it\u2019s easy to see why there\u2019s not much hype surrounding him.<\/p>\n<h3>His Best Performance To Date<\/h3>\n<p>Last season, Hunter was averaging 15.6 points per game. That\u2019s a respectable and impactful number, but not All-Star level. With Johnson basically replacing John Collins, it wasn\u2019t like he was getting less touches than ever just because he was having a breakout season. Nonetheless, he was still limited by the team\u2019s system.<\/p>\n<p>Young, Murray, and now Johnson were definitively ahead of him in the pecking order. It\u2019s no coincidence that out of the 16 games in which Hunter scored 20 or more points last season, Young didn\u2019t play in 11 of them. Johnson was a scratch in another.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why the Hawks trading Murray for Daniels really helped. Frankly, whether they moved him or Young, it would\u2019ve given the other guys more scoring opportunities. Nonetheless, Hunter was a benefactor. To that point, he\u2019s currently an averaging career-high of 13.0 field goal attempts and 20.5 points per game.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">DeAndre Hunter \ud83c\udd9a Kings<\/p>\n<p>24 PTS<br \/>\n2 REB<br \/>\n1 AST<br \/>\n9-15 FG<br \/>\n4-8 3PT<\/p>\n<p>Hunter is averaging 20.5 PPG on 13 FGA Per Game. The most that he has had in his career.<\/p>\n<p>Keep giving Hunter 13-15 Attempts Per Game, &amp; let him have the best season of his career. <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/TrueToAtlanta?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#TrueToAtlanta<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Hawks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Hawks<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AtlantaHawks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#AtlantaHawks<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BbB2miDf7h\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/BbB2miDf7h<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 BRANDON &#8211; HAWKS HOMECOURT \ud83c\udfc0\ud83d\udcfa (@Hawks_HomeCourt) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Hawks_HomeCourt\/status\/1858859493515297192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 19, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Daniels deserves the credit he\u2019s getting for <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/15\/no-final-verdict-hawks-pelicans-trade\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">his All-Defensive-caliber performances<\/a>. Johnson is taking the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/10\/22\/hawks-jalen-johnson-extension-just-the-beginning\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">next step in his development<\/a>. Young\u2019s team-oriented approach <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/02\/trae-young-change-approach-pay-off-hawks\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">is paying dividends<\/a>. However, Hunter\u2019s under-the-radar excellence should be just as appreciated.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s no coincidence that the Hawks are 4-0 when he\u2019s played this season.<\/p>\n<p>Hunter\u2019s health will always be a conversation piece. Nonetheless, he\u2019s a defensive ace and knockdown shooter scoring at a high volume. The New York Knicks traded seven first round picks for a very similar type of player in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bridgmi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mikal Bridges<\/a>. <em>That\u2019s<\/em> how valuable he is.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This always happens to him. This season, it\u2019s Atlanta Hawks two-way playmaker Dyson Daniels. In 2023-24, it was point-forward Jalen Johnson. In 2022-23, it was Dejounte Murray, a pickpocketing point guard. De\u2019Andre Hunter\u2019s contributions, particularly on the offensive end, are either overlooked or undervalued when there\u2019s a new shiny toy around. Hawks Unsung Hero De\u2019Andre [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":107811,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1608,62],"tags":[1875,1262,4605,3853,4774,1349],"class_list":["post-107751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hawks","category-basketball","category-nba","tag-deandre-hunter","tag-dejounte-murray","tag-dyson-daniels","tag-jalen-johnson","tag-rumors","tag-trae-young"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107751"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107751\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}