Atlanta Hawks: 3 reasons why Kevin Huerter is key to their title run
By Will Bjarnar
Why Kevin Huerter is key for the Atlanta Hawks: 2. He’s a mid-range assassin
There’s a growing sense, not that Huerter might be that guy for the Hawks, but that he already is that guy. Though he’s been producing at a high level with increased minutes for Nate McMillan’s team all season (and Lloyd Pierce’s team before that), he stormed onto the national scene, for all intents and purposes, in Atlanta’s Game 7 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round. Huerter exploded for 27 points on 56 percent shooting and paced the Hawks with Trae Young struggling from the field and Bogdan Bogdanovic hampered with a sore knee.
Though his offensive game is well-documented as having some raw tendencies (like rushed shots from three and errant passing), it’s budding in other areas, arguably the realms in which Atlanta could use a boost the most. Huerter has taken advantage of mid-range opportunities more frequently in the playoffs than he did during the regular season, a welcome sight for a team that shot more from three this season than from any other spot. For Huerter, the frequency at which he’s launching it from the mid-range in these playoffs is his career-high, a modification that has paid dividends.
His 42 percent frequency and 54 percent accuracy from the mid-range are in the 82nd and 79th percentiles, respectively, among guards in these playoffs, per Cleaning the Glass. While he’s always been billed as a lights-out shooter from three, for him to be so willing to create his own shot from inside the arc is what could prove difficult for Milwaukee to adjust to – and not just because Mike Budenholzer doesn’t seem to know how to make adjustments of any kind.
Just about every time Huerter comes off a screen to make a play in the mid-range, Milwaukee slips back into drop coverage. Why? Apparently, the Bucks love getting torched by high-level shot makers in space. Now, yes, the danger of a Clint Capela rolling to the rim or a kick-out to an open three is there. But, if given the chance, Huerter is going to look for his shot. (Spoiler: In Games 1 and 4, not-so-coincidentally the Atlanta Hawks’ two wins in this series, Milwaukee continued to give him the chance.)