2019 NBA Mock Draft: No one in the lottery wants to lose
125. . F. Virginia. De'Andre Hunter. 5. player
There are two areas where this year’s Hawks really struggle, even after a couple of months of solid play padding their stats: Atlanta turns the ball over at an astronomic rate and plays undisciplined defense. Of course, both of these facts ring true to anyone who’s ever watched a young basketball team compete. Inexperience breeds mistakes and a lack of familiarity can result in missed opportunities and over-aggressiveness. This is nothing new.
It does, however, speak to how well the Hawks are already doing in so many other categories to compete at a high level with so much youth on the roster. Atlanta is building a legitimate core and Hunter fits perfectly.
You couldn’t convince us away from believing there is some sort of divine intervention pushing the Hawks down the reverse standings to a spot it makes sense for them to land Hunter. Based on what we just established about the Hawks’ flaws, it’s remarkable a player like Hunter could become available to them — someone whose strengths counteract those flaws so thoroughly.
Hunter’s playmaking has taken a leap this year since joining the starting lineup. He upped his assist percentage while simultaneously lowering his turnover rate, all with a similar usage rate. That means Hunter is using a similar portion of possessions to score as he did last year but also distributing the ball efficiently to his teammates. Check.
Finally, Hunter comes from a Virginia defensive system that prides itself on crisp rotations, intelligent recoveries and physical play. A check once again for the Hawks.