Kevin Huerter is entering his third season as an Atlanta Hawk. In his second season, he averaged 12.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists. Huerter endured some struggles last season due to nagging injuries, which affected his slashing ability towards the rim.
“It’s definitely a priority attacking the rim … something I definitely wasn’t good [at] last year,” Huerter said. “Some of it [was] due to not feeling as explosive at times like I did my rookie year.”
Huerter also has the right size for the guard position at 6 feet, 7 inches and 190 pounds. Huerter will not stuff the stat sheet with steals and blocks, but he is excellent at staying in front of defenders and making it difficult for them to score. If Huerter bulks up some more, he can become one of the better defenders for Atlanta.
Huerter’s ability to slash to the rim works wonders for the Hawks and sets him up offensively to shoot the three-pointer. He did not have a terrible shooting performance in his second year. He shot 41% from the field and 38% from three. Huerter sets lofty goals for himself and was not far from hitting the mark.
“As a goal for myself, I tried to shoot 40% from three. There are times I shot it really well, and [I] kind of hit a cold streak when COVID-19 hit,” Huerter said.
The biggest thing the Hawks are missing is a consistent shooter. They have Trae Young, who shoots the ball well, but defenses have an eye for his long-range sniping ability. Pairing Young with another consistent 40% three-point shooter in the backcourt could give opposing defenses trouble. Huerter wants to fill this role and will stop at nothing to improve.
“As a pro, I definitely feel like I got better [during the 2019-20 season],” he said.
Although there was not any drastic improvement in Huerter’s numbers from the first to the second year, he did increase his point-per-game average, assists and total rebounds. Huerter is still improving and has a lot of growth ahead. His growth and how he matures as a player going forward will profoundly impact this team. The Hawks already have big plans as a young team starting next year.
“Our goal as a team is to make the playoffs. A lot of individual stats and accolades have been put aside, and we really have to come together as a team,” Huerter said.
It takes a team effort to reach those goals. Huerter is also very competitive, even in practice, and was bummed out about not having the free throw record.
“The only current record I don’t have in practice are the free throws,” Huerter said. “I have been trying to do this d— thing for six months now.”
It is always good to have friendly bets and practice records going, as it builds team chemistry. Huerter is a young core player for this team and prides himself on improving each day, even on the small things.
If Huerter’s three-point consistency can increase and he continues to look for good shots, he can easily average north of 15 points per game and give a jolt to the Atlanta offense.
