Atlanta Hawks: Analyzing a trade of the No. 6 pick for DeMar DeRozan
Does this trade work for the Atlanta Hawks?
It’s not a match made in heaven, but DeRozan would be a good fit with this Hawks team. He is a prolific scorer and an elite shot creator. One of the most consistent players in the league, DeRozan has averaged 20 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and one steal per game over his 11-year career.
DeRozan is coming off one of the most efficient seasons of his career. His 53.1 field goal percentage, 54 percent on two-point field goals, and 60.3 true shooting percentage (despite shooting 25.7 percent from three) are all career bests. According to RealGM, Derozan scored an efficient 1.43 points per field goal attempt.
Despite being able to score virtually at will, he is a very unselfish player who doesn’t just create for himself; he creates easy looks for his teammates as well. Last season DeRozan had a 26.1 assist percentage (second-highest mark for his career) and scored or a++ssisted on almost a third of the Spurs baskets (32.6 percent).
DeRozan is an underrated passer who possesses the court vision and passing ability to be a secondary playmaker in the starting lineup. Over the last five seasons, DeRozan averaged 5.0 assists per game.
By arming head coach Lloyd Pierce with a shot creator like DeRozan, the offense can become more creative. Pierce would be able to run more off-ball actions for Trae Young, similar to how Steve Kerr uses Stephen Curry with the Golden State Warriors. That also means more catch and shoot opportunities for Kevin Huerter, John Collins, and Cam Reddish.
DeRozan is a mid-range assassin and doesn’t shoot many threes, but that doesn’t mean he is entirely incapable. On a recent episode of the Old Man and the Three podcast, Derozan spoke on this and explained his thought process on the three-point shot:
"“I can be good I don’t have to shoot threes if I don’t want to. That don’t mean I can’t or I don’t know how, but I can be a dominant player at what i do if i play this way…just playing to my ultimate strengths until I feel like somebody can stop me or slow me down…I always felt like why shoot a three when I know I can go get fouled or get an easy shot or get these three guys thats around me that are three pointers [shooters] wide open shots”"
At the very least, as one of the youngest teams in the NBA, the Atlanta Hawks can surely benefit from DeMar DeRozan’s experience. The 11-year veteran has more NBA experience than anyone currently under contract for the 2020-21 season. DeRozan has played in as many games in the playoffs as Cam Reddish has played in the regular season.
Known to lead by example rather than as a vocal leader, DeRozan can help this young Hawks team continue to grow and take the next step in their development, the playoffs. The Hawks don’t want to just arrive in the playoffs scene; they want to thrive in it.
Between Clint Capela, Dewayne Dedmon, and DeRozan, the Atlanta Hawks would have three players with playoff experience under their belt (all three have played in at least one conference finals series). They can use that experience to help lead this young inexperienced team and show them what it takes to get there and succeed once in the post-season.