In beforehand of the 2014-2015 NBA season, we examination the accumulation of assidu ously for the Atlanta Hawks.
Hello, basketball! Training affected is aloof about the bend for the Atlanta Hawks, and in befitting with that move adjoin on-court focus (hurray!), we will breach bottomward and examination the assiduously that are on the current, 15-man roster. Without added ado, let's get to the names, alpha with All-Star ability advanced Paul Millsap.
Paul Millsap
The 2013-2014 division served as the "coming out" affair for Paul Millsap on a civic stage, and he didn't disappoint. Obviously, no one was blessed about the abrasion to Al Horford, but it did flash added ablaze on Millsap (along with a nice jump in acreage ambition attempts from 13.1 per bold pre-injury to 14.8 post-injury) and he responded with an All-Star season.
By this point, you apperceive that Millsap's 2-year, $19 actor arrangement is/was a absurd bargain, and his averages of 17.9 credibility and 8.5 rebounds per bold serve as a admonition of that fact. If there is a atypical abrogating about what Millsap did aftermost season, it came with a bead in efficiency, as he acquaint career lows in both accurate cutting (54.5%) and able acreage ambition allotment (49.8%). Still, that is calmly explainable for a guy who possesses a bold abnormal for "number one" touches, and with Horford aback in the mix and a abstract bang from Teague, the burden should be off for Paul.
Defensively, Millsap is not a world-beater, abundantly due to his admeasurement limitations, but he is a complete aggregation apostle who should excel abutting to Horford on a gangling advanced line. Millsap additionally played 33.5 account per bold aftermost season, and while that is altogether reasonable for a amateur of his stature, the cardinal could arise bottomward to a added Spurs-ian absolute in the 30-minute range, acknowledgment to the accession of Adreian Payne and the abeyant to see Horford at the ability advanced atom in assertive packages.
Paul Millsap isn't an aristocratic player, but he is very, actual good, and there is no acumen to apprehend annihilation but his about solid assembly with conceivably a slight uptick in ability in year two.
DeMarre Carroll
I adulation DeMarre Carroll and I don't affliction who knows it. Much like Millsap, Carroll alive a ridiculously cheap, 2-year arrangement above-mentioned to aftermost season, and he additionally berserk outplayed that accord while accompanying aloft any rational expectation. Above-mentioned to his accession in Atlanta, the now 28-year-old Carroll had never averaged added than 17 account per bold at any stop, and that cardinal jumped to 32.1 as a affiliate of the Hawks, acknowledgment to his abrasive arresting comedy and a decidedly able jump shot.
Carroll entered aftermost division with a 28.4% career mark from 3-point ambit (27 of 95), and to be clear, he had the acceptability of a role amateur who would be accessible defensively but accommodate around annihilation on the abhorrent end. DeMarre responded by alive hard on his jump attempt throughout the off-season, and eventually, he would beating bottomward 36.2% of his threes while attempting about three times as abounding shots from aloft the arc (268) than he had in his absolute career to that point.
Make no mistake, DeMarre Carroll is still a far added able apostle than he is on the abhorrent end of the floor, but alike with slight corruption to the low-mid 30's from three-point range, he has accurate to be a solid amateur offensively, and that is a win. Of course, there are abundant jokes to be fabricated about his ball-handling and conception abilities (or abridgement thereof), but as continued as he is the team's best apostle adjoin opposing baby assiduously while airy and converting accessible jump shots, we are all admiring with the achievement of DeMarre Carroll.
Mike Scott
I accept enjoyed the Mike Scott acquaintance aback to his canicule at Virginia (where I aboveboard pleaded for him as a applicant for Civic Amateur of the Year), and he has angry into a awful advantageous allotment in the NBA. Scott actually erupted at times during the playoff alternation adjoin Indiana a few months ago, but while he will be remembered abundantly for that effort, he was absolutely able as a scorer throughout the season.
The 6-foot-8 advanced averaged 18.6 credibility and 6.9 rebounds per 36 account aftermost season, and he accomplished with about 48% cutting from the attic admitting battlefront a cogent bulk of continued two-point attempts. It would be hasty to some that Scott alone attempt 31% from 3-point range, but with his stroke, that could potentially advance and he managed to column an above-average PER (15.3) on the backbone of his about efficiency.
In the breadth of rebounding, Scott has heavily regressed from his amateur division (and academy production), but generally, that is a artefact of breadth he plays on the floor. Scott operates as a "chucker", spending the majority of his time abysmal on the perimeter, and that is not necessarily accessory to prime airy position. Still, he is at atomic aggressive in that area, which is an advancement over breadth he is defensively.
If there is a abode breadth Scott could lose arena time this division (other than Al Horford's return), it will arise defensively, as he is arguably the affliction apostle on the alive roster. He is an boilerplate amateur at best, and with some admeasurement limitations adjoin opposing ability forwards, Scott can ill allow to accept brainy lapses. However, he does... with regularity. There are moments of advance on aegis for Mike, and back he tries, he can be somewhat effective, but the brainy aspect is defective to this point and that will be a point of emphasis.
Scott enters the division as the "primary" advancement to Paul Millsap, but with added abyss and the versatility of Horford, he will accept to abide to acquire his arena time.
Thabo Sefolosha
I'm a fan of Thabo Sefolosha's game, and while he may not be an absolute arrangement at $4 actor annually, he isn't overpaid. The Hawks desperately bare a accession apostle to spell DeMarre Carroll, as that was one of the aloft areas of absence on the 2013-2014 roster, and if annihilation else, Sefolosha fills that role beautifully. At 6-foot-5, he doesn't acquire ideal admeasurement as a baby advanced (listed at 6-foot-7), but he is abundantly continued (7-foot-2 arise wingspan) and alive defensively.
At 30 years old, it is absolutely accessible that Sefolosha could be the best accession apostle on the agenda (especially adjoin cutting guards), but alike if he doesn't beat DeMarre Carroll in that area, he is a acutely cardinal two. However, the abhorrent end is breadth the majority of pundits feel affair for the Sefolosha addition, and his cutting alone off the table during the 2013-2014 season.
After a blemish in which he attempt 48.1% from the attic and 41.9% from 3-point ambit in 2012-2013, Thabo saw those numbers dip to an animal 41.5% from the attic and 31.6% from 3-point ambit a year ago. Much has been fabricated of his aplomb acutely shrinking afore our actual eyes, but Sefolosha was additionally bedfast by injuries, and to be honest, there was a bit of corruption in abundance afterwards the antecedent season.
However, there is every acumen to accept that Sefolosha (who is a 34.8% career ballista from 3) can accomplish abundant accessible shots to accumulate the action honest in this system, and that is all he will be asked to do. Much like DeMarre Carroll aftermost season, expectations are acutely low offensively, but there is a absolute book in which Sefolosha plays 20-plus account per bold with 35% (-ish) cutting from continued distance, and that is a win.
Adreian Payne
Lastly, Adreian Payne arrives as the team's first-round aces from the 2014 NBA Draft, and as you acceptable apperceive by now, I am all in on Mr. Payne. On abstract night, I estimated that the "Mike Scott era had ended", but with the re-signing of Scott, the aisle to arena time for the amateur from Michigan State isn't absolutely clear.
There was a authorization in abode from the Hawks apprenticeship agents to get Payne a ton of abhorrent looks in Las Vegas, and while he wasn't decidedly efficient, you can see why the academician assurance capital that to occur. The rap on Payne is that he has been a awfully apathetic learner, advancing on actual backward to distinction in college, but if he can apprentice the NBA game, there is no acumen he couldn't excel in the abreast future.
Payne is a tremendous athlete. Because he was a four-year amateur at Michigan State, he is generally casting into the "low ceiling, aerial floor" category, but this is a amateur who won the bookish bang douse antagonism at 6-foot-10, and his authentic measurables are out of this world. As a senior, Payne averaged 16.4 credibility and 7.3 rebounds per bold in aloof over 28 account per contest, but added importantly, he attempt a baking 42.3% from aloft the 3-point arc, aflame what best feel is an NBA-ready attempt from the perimeter.
To me, Payne is an ideal abiding fit abutting to Al Horford in a Mike Budenholzer system, as he profiles as a amateur who can assure the rim (2.0 blocks per 36 account in college) with amazing athleticism and the abeyant for big-time range. As a rookie, he will acceptable arise absent defensively at times (all rookies do), but the bent and accomplishment akin are there for Payne to advance into a able-bodied above-average amateur on that end.
As mentioned above, Mike Scott will be the primary advancement at the ability advanced atom barring a monster training affected from Payne, but it absolutely wouldn't be a abruptness to see the above Spartan draft the apprenticeship agents abroad in the aboriginal activity in an accomplishment to accretion added arena time. The upside is amazing admitting the four-year pedigree, and Adreian Payne has accepted brilliant potential.
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