Atlanta Hawks' De'Andre Hunter much improved in 2nd season (2024)

As Clint Capela walked away from the action, he knew De’Andre Hunter was about to pick up a technical foul because whatever it was he said to the referee wasn’t going to be received well. It was Hunter’s second technical foul this season after he picked up zero last season.

The Hawks led by 12 points over the Minnesota Timberwolves late in the third quarter Monday and had played a sloppy game throughout, but the team loved Hunter speaking up.

“He was defending hard. It’s just frustration,” Capela said after Monday’s 108-97 win. “When you play hard and they call a foul, it’s just frustration. I think it’s good from him, especially for a guy like him who (does) not necessarily express himself. I think it’s good that he got it out. We need that from him. We want that from him. I always tell him defensively, ‘Talk to me because I want to hear you. I don’t just want you to be a good player. I want to hear your voice.’ It’s really important for us.”

Before being traded to Atlanta at last season’s deadline, Capela said he didn’t know Hunter’s game well enough to have a strong opinion of Hunter’s potential, which is understandable because Hunter wasn’t very noticeable most nights for the Hawks in his rookie season. But over the 11 months Capela has watched Hunter’s game mature up close, Capela has been impressed with what he has seen from the second-year player out of Virginia.

“He has a chance to be really, really special,” Capela said. “I enjoy watching him. Every day, I’m here to push him. I’m just trying to talk to him defensively, offensively to make sure he keeps his confidence up and stays aggressive. To be able to guard the star on the opposite team every night, (it) has been amazing to see that.”

Through 13 games, Hunter has been the most consistent and arguably the best Hawks player. The growth he has shown across the board in his second season has been astounding. Last season, the Hawks scored 1.01 points per possession with Hunter as a spot-up shooter, 1.11 PPP in transition and 0.69 with him as the pick-and-roll ballhandler. Those numbers jump up this season to 1.21 PPP as a spot-up shooter, 1.32 PPP in transition and 0.96 PPP as a pick-and-roll ballhandler, according to Synergy.

Indicative of the Hawks’ trust in him this season, they’re consistently running some offensive sets through him, which didn’t happen last season. He’s also noticeably more confident driving inside the paint — 3 percent more of his shot attempts have come at the rim and 5 percent more have come in the short midrange compared with last season, according to Cleaning The Glass. Hunter is also seeking contact this season — he has been fouled on 13 percent of his shot attempts, up from 9 percent last season.

There’s undeniable confidence in Hunter’s game right now. He said he used the long offseason to watch film of wings his size and studied how they attack the paint and draw fouls. It has paid off for Hunter and the Hawks.

“I would say attacking,” coach Lloyd Pierce said of what has impressed him most about Hunter’s game. “For some reason, he starts the game, and his first two or three shots seem to be 3s and make or miss; I think he kind of gets in his own way. After that, he gets into attack mode. He’s running out in transition. It seems like he’s getting a foul a game where he’s just running and attacking the wing. When he catches on the perimeter, he’s looking to get into the paint. He’s been able to get to the free throw line there. We’re able to post him. I think he’s just in attack mode. Outside of those two or three shots, the rest of the game he’s in attack mode and it’s good to see. I thought (Monday), him getting a tech was a positive. You’re starting to see some fire. You’re starting to see some passion. You’re starting to see some intensity for a guy who’s pretty reserved. I like his level of engagement.”

And Hunter’s level of engagement has been there on defense, too, which is arguably more important than his offensive output. The Hawks moved up in the draft for Hunter because of his defensive prowess coming out of Virginia. He’s much improved on that end of the floor. He’s stronger. He’s quicker. He’s more knowledgeable of where he’s supposed to be. Opponents are shooting 9.8 percentage points worse at the rim with Hunter on the floor and have a 3.6 negative percentage point difference in effective field goal percentage when Hunter is out there. The Hawks are nearly four points worse on defense when Hunter isn’t on the floor, according to PBP Stats.

Earlier this season against Brooklyn, it was apparent how much Hunter has grown on that end of the floor when Pierce matched Hunter up with Kyrie Irving, who has some of the best handles and offensive moves in the NBA. Outside of one quarter when Irving went supernova, Hunter was a nuisance for Irving. Hunter was laterally slow last season, which is why I thought his best long-term position might be power forward so he wouldn’t have to guard quicker perimeter players like Irving.

Before Monday’s game, Hunter had played 56 percent of his minutes at small forward, and the Hawks were 18 points better with him there than at power forward, where they were 11.6 points worse. One reason for the big discrepancy is when Hunter is at the four, John Collins predominantly has played the five. Collins’ defense at center has been quite bad and so much better going up against other power forwards. It’s going to be interesting to see how the Hawks use Hunter (and Collins) when Onyeka Okongwu is fully unleashed and ready to make an impact. If Okongwu can grow to be outstanding defensively, it could allow the Hawks to move Hunter up to the four spot and allow for a more dynamic offensive player on the wing. That would mean the Hawks could have some long-term flexibility with Collins and potentially look to deal him down the road.

Hunter’s growth is encouraging for the Hawks in the short and long term because after last season, what the Hawks gave up to acquire him (two first-round picks, an early second, a future pick and the absorption of Solomon Hill’s salary) looked like a significant reach for a player who looked like nothing more than the team’s fifth-best starter when he reached his peak. As this team rises in prominence and the stakes get higher, Hunter looks like a player who will take pressure off Trae Young and Collins in the short term and someone who could get a bucket himself in a big moment.

Hunter’s rise has gotten zero buzz nationally as far as the Most Improved Player conversation goes as Houston’s Christian Wood and Toronto’s Chris Boucher have been the two most-talked-about candidates early on. But the way Hunter dramatically has improved from a player who was in the background most nights last season to a trusted, reliable performer each night, he deserves more recognition.

“I think his game is similar to his personality, just steady,” Pierce said. “He’s a consistent worker. He’s a consistent performer. He’s got the challenge of chasing guys around on the defensive end. (He’s) really not being a focal point offensively, but finding his rhythm on the second side, we have opportunities to post him, we can space him, he’s in position to get downhill. He’s consistently getting to the free throw line. So I think the steady part of his game is the balance — the balance in which he plays and the balance in which we can use him.”

(Photo: Dale Zanine / USA Today)

Chris Kirschner is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the New York Yankees. He previously covered the Atlanta Hawks from 2018-2022 for The Athletic. Chris was named Georgia's Sportswriter of the Year in 2021 for his work covering the Hawks. Chris is a native of Bronx, NY. Follow Chris on Twitter @chriskirschner