Atlanta Hawks: Ranking all 5 starters for the 2021-22 season

Atlanta Hawks starters ranked: 5. SF De’Andre Hunter

Of all the starters, De’Andre Hunter has the most tenuous grip on a starting role. The prodigious potential of Cam Reddish means Hunter may get squeezed out of the lineup sooner than later.

Hunter averaged slightly more playing time last season during his second year and saw his scoring (15.0 points per game), rebounds (4.8 per game), and assists (1.9 per game) grow as well. His free throw shooting soared as well, up from 76.4 percent to 85.9 percent, with an additional 1.4 attempts per game, to boot.

One area where Hunter lost ground, however, is from beyond the arc. He hit 35.5 percent of his three-pointers on 4.8 attempts per game as a rookie. Last season, he hit just 32.6 percent on 4.1 attempts per game. The issue was particularly pronounced with less than three minutes left in a quarter, when he hit less than 20 percent of his attempts.

Hunter may have been a viable candidate for Most Improved Player last season before a knee injury interrupted his season twice and limited him to 23 regular season games. Reddish is now breathing down his neck, with a lot of different lineup options available to Nate McMillan. If Hunter can show further improvement, he can regain his grip on the starting role and move up this list for future years.