Taurean Prince has had an up-and-down start to his career with the Atlanta Hawks. Coming into the league on a playoff team and watching that team crumble before his eyes has seen his production become erratic.
The future for the Atlanta Hawks undoubtedly lies with rookie Trae Young. Other first-year players that fit into these plans include Kevin Huerter and Omari Spellman, both of whom have impressed fans this year.
John Collins is already one of the best, if not the best player on the Atlanta roster at the moment. Alex Len is a nice player who is still just 25 years old. DeAndre’ Bembry is starting to reach some of the first round potential that made the Hawks select him 21st overall in the 2016 NBA Draft. That leaves Taurean Waller-Prince.
Prince has had quite an interesting career in Atlanta. The Hawks acquired him on draft night in 2016, courtesy of the Utah Jazz. He was the 12th overall pick out of Baylor University, and was part of the deal that sent Jeff Teague to the Indiana Pacers and George Hill to the Utah Jazz.
The two-way wing came into the league on a team that had been competitive for most of recent history. Atlanta was riding a 10-year playoff streak that spanned from 2008-17. The only reason the team traded its starting point guard, Jeff Teague, was to make room for a younger, more talented one in Dennis Schroeder.
In his rookie season, Prince began to really come on toward the end of the season. He was inserted into the starting lineup in a first round playoff series against the Washington Wizards and was nothing short of spectacular. His shooting was very efficient and he was one of the key reasons the Hawks were able to hang around as long as they did in that series.
Some of that scoring potential can be seen right here:
Fast forward to 2018 and his role is extremely fluid. In the first few games of the season, Prince was the focal point of the offense, but now it seems as if he has taken a back seat to Trae Young and a few of the other talented young players that the Hawks employ.
He’s showcased some of that inconsistency through scoring: In the first four games of the season he averaged 21.8 points per game, but over the next four, saw an average of 9.3 points per game.
Prince’s season averages sit at 15.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game overall.
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His 2018-19 season has been hampered by a few nagging injuries, but they haven’t caused him to miss significant time. He’s only missed three games so far this season. One statistic of note is that Prince played, and started, all of the team’s 82 games last season.
At his best, Prince has shown he can be the focal point of a simple, yet fast-paced offense. That experience can mold him into an ideal second fiddle to Trae Young’s offensive versatility. Currently taking 6.7 3-pointers a game, Prince shows potential to be one of the game’s best 3-and-D guys. Teams of late have been finding significant value in players who can fill that one role as the modern NBA offense calls for quick shots and strong defense.
It remains to be seen if Taurean Prince can find his rhythm in a lightning quick offense. He has shown that he can be an X-factor on a playoff team, but he must now show that he can propel a rebuilding one. With shooters and young players all around him, there will certainly be time for this prospect to prove he belongs in the Atlanta Hawks’ rebuild plan.