Atlanta Hawks: Complete 2017 offseason grades
Atlanta Hawks sign Luke Babbitt to a one-year deal
The low-risk moves from the Hawks spilled over into early August.
As the rest of the league awaited the future of Carmelo Anthony and Kyrie Irving, Atlanta rounded out its roster by landing forward Luke Babbitt to a one-year contract worth the veteran minimum of $1.97 million for a player with seven years of service.
Babbitt was the 16th overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft and has latched on for stints in Portland, New Orleans and Miami for one simple reason: his ability to shoot the long range shot.
Over the past three seasons, Luke Babbitt has made 190 of his 434 (43.8%) three-point attempts.
— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) August 4, 2017
In 331 career appearances, Babbitt actually has a higher career average from three-point range (40.6 percent) than he does overall from the field (40.5 percent), as there is little mystery to his purpose on the floor.
The 6’9″ forward sank 113 shots last season and 87 of those makes came from three-point range, accounting for 76.9 percent of his total conversions a year ago.
While Babbitt has been a prolific shooter from beyond the arc, his total contributions have been limited, with averages of 4.7 points and 2.3 points per game.
Atlanta needed someone to stretch out the defense and with the free agent market rapidly drying up, Babbitt was one of the best players available.
Grade: C+