As rookies, De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish shouldered a hefty amount of responsibility.
Upon joining the Hawks, they immediately jumped into large roles on a rebuilding team, with varied results throughout the season. Both flashed massive potential, but they also experienced their fair share of rookie struggles and at times looked hesitant as they figured things out.
Now moving toward their second season, getting past that hesitancy is a major goal for the two young wings.
“Just being more assertive, more aggressive, having a mindset to be productive for our team on both ends of the floor,” Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce said. “They played heavy minutes as rookies; I think that’s a great step for them in terms of gaining that first-year experience (and) the next step is to be even more productive with their mindset and their approach to the game. They’ve got important roles already, it’s how do we maximize their ability to compete and produce on the court.”
Pierce is pushing for the team to make the playoffs next season, as are many Hawks players who feel the team is nearing the end of its rebuild. General manager Travis Schlenk has taken a different approach, saying this is not a “playoff or bust” season ahead, but that it’s indeed time for the Hawks' efforts to start translating to more wins (they haven’t reached the 30-win mark for three consecutive seasons).
The Hawks’ roster isn’t complete yet, with nine players under contract for the 2020-21 season, but if the team is to achieve either a small step forward or bigger leap, Hunter and Reddish no doubt will be a big part of that as two members of the Hawks' “Core Five” group of players that the team is building around.
Both are athletic, two-way wings, though Hunter can play some power forward, too. well. Both often are asked to guard opposing teams' best players (there was a two-day period in November when Hunter had to guard LeBron James and Paul George back-to-back). And both have expressed a desire to be more assertive in Year 2, now that they’ve adapted to the NBA.
“I think we just need to be more aggressive as a duo,” Hunter said. “We were kind of passive this year, I would say, so just being more aggressive. I think we’re both great two-way players, we can score and can defend as well, and I feel like if we’re just more aggressive on offense and defense the sky is the limit for us and this team.”
As rookies, their ups and downs were distributed a little differently. And unfortunately, their season was cut 15 games short because of the coronavirus.
Reddish, who recently turned 21, started the season with dreadful offense, making one of his first 18 3-point attempts, and shot 27.9% from 3 in November, making his way to 40.3% in January after working with Vince Carter on his shot mechanics (he also went from shooting 20.9% from the field in October to 41.1% in January). His offense came along slowly, but his defense was steadier and developed much faster than the average rookie’s, as did Hunter’s. By the end of the shortened season, though, Reddish’s craftiness was coming to light, whether through his fluidity in attacking the rim or his focus in punching the ball out of opponents' hands for steals.
For Hunter, 22, his shooting showed up earlier, but he would fade into the background at times throughout the season. Pierce has said a few times that Hunter’s game isn’t flashy, such as the likes of Reddish or Trae Young. On March 10, a day before the season was suspended and a day after Hunter registered a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double in a double-overtime win against Charlotte, Pierce said this of Hunter’s skill set: “What he is, he’s a capable catch-and-shoot guy, he’s a rhythm guy. He’s a guy that’s been able to play in the post a little bit, and he’s a guy that knows spacing and just how to be a system and team guy. He’s not a drive-and-kick guy. He’s got to get to a two-foot stop. It’s not as fluid as it is for some of the other guys, but we’ve been able to help him grow in those areas.”
Overall, Reddish averaged 10.5 points and 3.7 rebounds in 26.7 minutes per game, and Hunter added 12.3 points and 4.5 rebounds in 32 minutes per game. Hunter started 62 of the 63 games he played in, and Reddish started 34 of 58.
Growing more consistent and assertive is the next step for the duo, Reddish said, and not just when shooting the ball.
“I think consistency, that’d be a big part of it, but I think the main thing for both of us is just being assertive, whether that’s scoring, passing, whatever it may be,” Reddish said. “Being assertive and aggressive on the floor, and the rest will take care of itself.”
For fellow wing Kevin Huerter, who took a step forward from his rookie to second season, despite a few injuries holding him back, both Hunter and Reddish have the skills to do the same, it’s just a matter of being more consistent throughout the season.
“The biggest thing with being a rookie is consistency,” Huerter said. “Rookies, a lot of times, you show, they both were able to show how good they are, obviously, in spurts. Really across the board, everybody goes through it, so just being a little bit more consistent, that’s really it. I think those guys, they have a lot of tools. As a team, we have a lot of things we need to get better at, specifically a lot on the defensive end. Offensively, is getting a lot of guys involved, moving the ball around, playing with each other a little bit better.
"And Cam and Dre, I think they’re coming along great, it’s just like everyone else has to do, continue to work on their bodies, continue to try and get more consistent.”
Both Reddish and Hunter had good performances at Hawks' minicamp, Pierce said, so they’re off to a good start.
Both were able to build on the individual workouts they had been doing in the offseason, per Pierce, and came into camp with the right mentality. Minicamp ended up running from Sept. 21 to Oct. 1.
“I thought both of them came in great, in great condition, you can tell the work that they’ve both put in,” Pierce said. “Both here in Atlanta and with their respective trainers and friends, back at their hometown, wherever they’ve gone, I thought they maximized that time and they put in some good work. ... Cam today had a great scrimmage, just was all over the place, made some some big 3′s, some big plays, De’Andre yesterday had a really good day. He’s been competing, he was really assertive yesterday, he did a great job today as well, didn’t play as much, but I just think they had the right mentality coming into this, and I think they’ve had the right mentality the entire offseason in terms of the work that they’re putting in with their body and their skillset.”
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