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NBA Stock Exchange: Stars In The Present And Stars For The Future

By Adam McGee

May 25, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) dribbles as Golden State Warriors guard Andre Iguodala (9) defends during the second half in game four of the Western Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs. at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
May 25, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) dribbles as Golden State Warriors guard Andre Iguodala (9) defends during the second half in game four of the Western Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs. at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 9, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Kent Bazemore (24) brings the ball up court against the Dallas Mavericks during the first half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 9, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Kent Bazemore (24) brings the ball up court against the Dallas Mavericks during the first half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

Buy: Kent Bazemore As The Wing Atlanta Needed This Season

Much of the talk surrounding the Atlanta Hawks this offseason centered on discussing how they were going to replace DeMarre Carroll. With Justin Holiday and Tim Hardaway Jr. being the only wing additions, many questioned how combining them with Thabo Sefolosha and Kent Bazemore would allow the Hawks to even replicate the style in which they played last season.

With Atlanta getting off to a slower start than they would have planned for, sitting at 15-12 and currently outside of the playoff race in the East, it would be easy to accredit the cause in their early season drop-off to the team missing Carroll, except that simply isn’t the problem.

Kent Bazemore has always been a player with exceptional athleticism and natural physical gifts, but getting him to put it together in an intelligent fashion has been the challenge. This season it looks like he’s doing just that though.

Bazemore is leading the Hawks in terms of three-point percentage, knocking down long balls at a 42.3 percent clip. Almost three percent better than DeMarre Carroll’s long range shooting from last season.

Bazemore hasn’t been bad defensively either, but like the rest of his teammates, there’s room for further improvement in that department. The North Carolina native showed what he’s capable of in terms of scoring with his career high 28 points coming against the Miami Heat in the past seven days, and even if he’s different to DeMarre Carroll, that’s a more dynamic threat that the Hawks should be happy to lean on from time to time.

Next: Still A Hot Young Property