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Atlanta Hawks: Who Should They Target In The First Round?

By Nathan Grubel

May 3, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll (5) shoots the ball against the Washington Wizards in the third quarter in game one of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
May 3, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll (5) shoots the ball against the Washington Wizards in the third quarter in game one of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 21, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Georgia State Panthers guard R.J. Hunter (22) reacts with his father Panthers head coach Ron Hunter as he leaves the game against the Xavier Musketeers in the second half of a game in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. Xavier defeated Georgia State, 75-67. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Georgia State Panthers guard R.J. Hunter (22) reacts with his father Panthers head coach Ron Hunter as he leaves the game against the Xavier Musketeers in the second half of a game in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. Xavier defeated Georgia State, 75-67. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

3. R.J. Hunter

Hunter may not have attended one of the bigger basketball schools during his time in college, but there’s an old saying that if you can play, you will be found no matter where you are.

That’s certainly the case for Hunter, as he was a scoring machine for Georgia State during his three years there.

With a career 18.4 points per game average on 42.3 percent shooting from the field including 35.4 percent from the three-point line, there’s no question Hunter can stuff that part of the stat sheet.

Hunter knows how to score in a variety of ways, from drives to the rim to pull-ups to spot-ups from beyond the arc. Scouts initially fell in love with his deep ball, as he connected on 39.5 percent of his three-point attempts during his sophomore season.

His junior year was a different story, as he only hit on 30.5 percent of his attempts from range, but that can’t all be chalked up to Hunter possibly not being the shooter that scouts once thought he was.

This past season, Hunter became one of the only consistent offensive threats on his team, meaning that a lot of his shots were taken with two or sometimes three defenders in his face. Hunter isn’t going to be a star scoring option for a team at the next level, but that’s not what he was ever viewed to be by scouts.

Hunter has great size for the shooting guard position at 6-foot-6, and his length and lift on his jump shot let him get his look off over almost any defender. If he can get an open shot or can play his man one-on-one, then Hunter has a good chance of scoring the basketball at an efficient rate.

And when he’s on, he’s on.

For a team like the Hawks that’s predicated on ball movement and finding the open man, Hunter could be a similar threat for other teams like Kyle Korver has become for Atlanta. A deadly shooter from deep when he’s open could be exactly what the doctor ordered again for the Hawks, as you can never have enough quality shooting.

Sure, Hunter can do more than just spot-up from three, but his jump shot and offensive instincts would translate well to the kind of system that the Hawks have in place. He may not have the size to play the small forward spot, but that shouldn’t deter Atlanta from looking at drafting him. He could provide some timely shooting from deep that the team seems to crave and live off of night after night.

Next: Conclusion

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