Atlanta Hawks: Don’t Forget About DeMarre Carroll

Against the Miami Heat on Tuesday night, the Atlanta Hawks illustrated exactly why they could be the surprise package of the Eastern Conference. After a slow start, Atlanta found themselves down by almost 20, but roared back completely unfazed behind a 43-18 third quarter to claim a six point victory.

Sure, guys like Al Horford, Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver were a big part of this success, and will be of the team’s play this season, but it’s DeMarre Carroll, the team’s fifth starter that often gets forgotten.

Carroll may not be flashy, but he’s a specialist, and neither his game or his personality ever tend to be dull. He has a tenacious and relentless commitment to win, and as a result he fights for every possession, and truly leaves it all out on the court.

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It’s because of this work rate and willingness to scrap, that Carroll is nicknamed “The Junkyard Dog,” and it’s rare to hear nicknames more apt.

Carroll has overcome a lot to get to this point in the NBA, and seems unlikely to let much get in his way on the road to improving. There have been doubts over Carroll since before he entered the league, and yet he has continued to prove them all wrong.

Shortly after enrolling at the University of Missouri back in 2007, Carroll visited a doctor complaining of itchy legs, suspecting he was suffering from some sort of allergy. The reality was a lot more serious though.

Carroll was diagnosed with liver disease, and will eventually, after his career has ended, need a liver transplant. Such a serious condition generally acts like a red flag for NBA organizations cautious of how they invest their money, but that didn’t stop Carroll from proving his talent.

In spite of his condition, Carroll was drafted by the Houston Rockets in the first round in 2009 as the 27th overall pick. In an interview prior to the draft with the New York Times, Carroll dismissed any potential impact his condition could have on his game.

"“I think it’s blown out of proportion.”"

Carroll continued, talking about the scouting process:

"“In the end, you can’t judge me unless you see me in these workouts and see how I perform.”"

In many ways, that last statement has never been more true for Carroll either. Since arriving in Atlanta it almost appears like after multiple moves around the NBA, Carroll has found a home. As a Hawk, his game has been transformed, and seeing Carroll play now really is impressive.

Last season, in his first as a Hawk, Carroll more than doubled his career minutes per game average, and remarkably, he became more efficient at the same time. His shooting improved dramatically thanks to work with then Atlanta assistant, now Utah head coach Quin Snyder, and he became a legitimate threat from 3-point range, something his game never really had before that.

With his energy, hustle and work rate all already in place, Carroll was already a good defender, but it seems like he’s become a smarter one too. He offers tight coverage, reads the passing lanes well, and is the Hawks go-to-guy in one-one-one defensive situations with the game on the line.

In other words, Carroll is now one of the league’s best “Three-and-D” specialists, but that hasn’t stopped him from wanting to improve even further.

In his exit interview with Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution in May, Carroll talked about something which is almost unheard of for established NBA players. Asked of his plans for the summer, the fifth-year player responded:

"“They won’t let me play in summer league. I wanted to play summer league and work on my ball-handling but they won’t let me play.”"

The reason the Hawks wouldn’t let Carroll play is simple; he has become too important to the team to be playing extra minutes during the off-season. Carroll has increased competition on the wing in Atlanta this season due to the arrivals of Thabo Sefolosha and Kent Bazemore, yet there’s every expectation that he will still be the undisputed starting small forward come opening night.

DeMarre Carroll is a favorite of Hawks fans, and the coaching staff, quite simply because he personifies the identity they are trying to shape the team into.

Entering into a contract year, with greater confidence and skills than ever before, if you don’t know much about him by now, you should expect to be familiar with DeMarre Carroll before this season ends.