Who’s the third best player on the Atlanta Hawks?

Assuming point guard Trae Young is the Atlanta Hawks best player, and Clint Capela is second right behind him, who’s the team’s third-best player?

Trae Young is and has been the leader of the Atlanta Hawks since arriving in 2017. His two years have been filled with flashy passes, elusive scoring techniques, and unfortunately–lots of losing.

He hasn’t been alone, however. John Collins has been right there with him every step of the way. The 22-year-old forward arrived the year before Young, giving him the opportunity to prepare himself in earnest a full season ahead of the point guard’s arrival.

Together, the two have had some success as a duo. It just hasn’t translated to wins for the Hawks. But now, even ahead of this season, Atlanta was thought of as a team that was on their way. Some called them a playoff team, others claimed they were still a year or two away.

Then, at this year’s trade deadline, the Hawks pulled the trigger on a blockbuster deal for Houston Rockets center Clint Capela. Immediately, he hopped Collins as the second-best talent on the roster.

All without suiting up for the team just yet, I might add.

Before anyone can establish what the true identity of this team is, the Hawks need to realize who their third-best player is. Collins’ 25-game suspension earlier this season didn’t help his growth as a talent, in fact, if anything it stunted or delayed it. He’s showed signs of rust since returning.

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And Atlanta has three up and coming talents, all acquired via the draft process. Kevin Huerter was selected in 2018, with Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter joining them in the following 2019 class.

Between those three youth, and the longtime Hawk Collins, who’s the third-best talent? Believe it or not, there’s a stronger argument for each side than you’d expect.

Collins has put together a solid campaign this season: 21.6 points, 10.1 rebounds in 41 games. He’s also established himself as a 3-point threat, behind a .401 shooting clip this year.

In Capela’s arrival, the stress for Collins to serve as their scoring presence down low will be lessened. He’ll be allowed to focus on his strengths, those which make him so unique.

But the other side effect to the Hawks’ newest big man is the emphasis they’ll have to make on three-point shooting. Guys like Reddish, Hunter, and Huerter have suddenly become twice as important as they were in the previous season.

Mostly, because Atlanta can only roll out five guys at one time. And in previous years, they’ve had the luxury of rolling Collins out at the five, a big who can truly space the floor.

Reddish started out slow but came around on his shooting, ending the year with a .332 clip, but after shooting a .403 clip over his last 12 games ahead of the hiatus. The Atlanta Hawks’ other rookie, Hunter, finished out the season with a .355 clip, much more reliable on the wing.

But it seems that the entire league has forgotten Huerter or as he was known at Maryland, the Red Mamba, who crushed the 3-point arc in his rookie season behind a .385 clip from 3. His play has slacked off at times this season, mostly due to injury and an inconsistent role.

But Huerter is still averaging 12.2 points on a .380 clip from deep this season. He’s played 56 games total and started in 48 for the Hawks. Realistically, the decision comes down to himself and Collins for next on the totem pole behind Young and Capela.

If we were talking about who was most important to the team next season, or for the continuation of this season, it might be a more difficult argument. But in terms of who is the third-best talent in Atlanta, it’s got to be Collins, provided he can stay on the floor and available.

The forward will only get better in his new role next to Clint Capela in the frontcourt, allowing him to truly thrive within his fit as a stretch four and 3-point marksman. Huerter is a close second but doesn’t have the impact on the game Collins has often imposed at times for the Atlanta Hawks.