Atlanta Hawks: Is Thabo Sefolosha A Good Fit?
By Adam McGee
The Atlanta Hawks made their first acquisition of the free agency period on Thursday, picking up former Oklahoma City Thunder swingman Thabo Sefolosha. According to Shams Charania of RealGM, who reported the deal first, the Swiss national agreed to a three-year, $12 million deal that’s fully guaranteed.
Sefolosha is coming off a poor season with the Thunder, but has long been a valuable role player in the NBA. At an approximate $4 million per season, the deal could prove to be an absolute steal if Sefolosha regains his best form, yet even if he doesn’t, it wasn’t an excessive price to pay to find out.
The reason Hawks general manager Danny Ferry took this risk is clear too. Perhaps, Atlanta’s biggest weakness last season was their lack of depth on the wing.
When either, or both of, Kyle Korver and DeMarre Carroll came out of games or missed out due to injuries, the Hawks perimeter defense and shooting would suffer.
Sefolosha has the necessary skill sets to help shore up that void on the wing for Atlanta, and could have a significant impact on the flexibility of Mike Budenholzer’s wing rotations.
Let’s take a closer look at three aspects of Sefolosha’s game that make him a perfect fit in Atlanta.