Atlanta Hawks: 2017-18 player grades for Taurean Prince

Strengths

Looking back at Prince’s season, the positive that immediately stood out was his 3-point shooting. The 3-ball was Prince’s preferred method of scoring (5.6 attempts per game) and he was more than capable of hitting them. In fact, he was downright deadly, as he shot 38.5 percent from downtown.

With Dennis Schroder operating as the primary ball-handler, Prince’s main job was to space the floor for his point guard, whether it was as a spot-up shooter or coming off screens away from the ball. He particularly excelled at catch-and-shoot 3s, making 42 percent of those shots. That puts him in the same atmosphere as players like Klay Thompson, Kristaps Porzingis, Dirk Nowitzki and Stephen Curry.

Now, I’m not saying that Prince is as good as those stars, but it’s encouraging to see that level of efficiency. Prince wasn’t as good shooting on off-ball screens, but he was still effective; he averaged 1.01 points per possession in those situations.

These aren’t empty 3s that Prince jacks up in garbage time either; they have a tangible effect on the Hawks offense. Atlanta’s scoring attack slightly improved when Prince was on the floor, as it scored 106.4 points per 100 possessions when he played and 104.8 when he sat. So at the very least, Prince has emerged as an essential cog in the Hawks’ offense.