The Hawks added four rookies to their roster on draft night. One of them just happened to fly a little further under the radar.
Following all of the pomp and circumstance that comes with the NBA’s draft night, the Hawks added UC Santa Barbara forward Miles Norris on a two-way contract. Norris got the call right after everything and basked in the moment with his family.
“Everyone celebrated,” he said. “So, you know, my parents were very happy. My brother was there. So, it was a good time.”
The Hawks have plenty of players on their roster, who look to prove plenty this week at the Las Vegas Summer League. Norris did not play in the team’s Summer League opener Friday as the Hawks opted to play their first-round pick Kobe Bufkin, as well as second-round picks Mouhamed Gueye and Seth Lundy.
The team also took a look at several other players, including second-year wings AJ Griffin and Tyrese Martin, as well as Vit Krejci.
But Norris knows that his time on the court will come. When it does, he wants to show off the versatility that caught the Hawks’ attention in the draft evaluation process.
“Just my versatility, playing defense making shots, just being a good teammate,” Norris said. “If I’m not playing just being a good teammate on the bench and getting guys going. But just show them my versatility, doing everything I could do to just getting the win.”
In college, Norris averaged 14.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 33 minutes last season. It earned him second-team All-Big West.
The Hawks announced Thursday that they signed Norris to a two-way contract. So it’s only a matter of time before he gets the chance to show off his ability to knock shots down from a distance. In college, he shot 39.1% of his 3-point attempts, while having the capability to disrupt on defense.
He also will bring some athletic ability to the Hawks, which they can utilize at the rim.
The Hawks return to action Sunday when they face the Nuggets.
