NEW YORK -- The Hawks added a new face to their roster on Monday and he already sees how he can fit right in.
On the final day that NBA teams can add players to their rosters on two-way contracts, the Hawks signed small forward Dylan Windler. The 27-year-old Indianapolis native comes from the Hawks fresh off a two-way stint with the Lakers, who waived him on Saturday.
Still out in Los Angeles, Windler’s agent gave him a heads up shortly after that the Hawks had interest in signing him. By the end of the day, they finalized the deal and Windler had to hop on a cross-country flight to meet the Hawks in New York Tuesday.
Though Windler, who will wear No. 20, joined the team 24 hours before its matchup against the Knicks, it has wrapped him into the fold with wide open arms at shootaround ahead of the game.
“It’s been good, so far,” Windler said. “Yeah, it’s a lot of new faces very quickly. It’s obviously part of the business switching teams. But everybody’s been super welcoming to me, and obviously I had shootaround today with the team so not a lot of guys today and coaches and staff. So it’s been good so far. I got no complaints.”
Though he has had just one chance, so far, to absorb the Hawks’ system, he already saw ways that his skills could fit. Hawks coach Quin Snyder emphasizes spacing and decisive ball movement to find the high percentage shot.
Windler, who shot 37.5% in 42 appearances in the G League, came into the NBA known as shooter who thrived coming off screens or floating to the corners to get open shots. He has a quick release and could do well in the fast pace Snyder wants the Hawks to play with.
“I mean, even just from the little bits I’ve seen and playing against the Hawks from time to time, seeing Coach Quin’s system, I think it’s a system that I fit right into it,” he said. “A lot of 3s up, run, good spacing, crash the offensive glass, prioritize next possessions. And so I think it’s a system I good fit really well into.”
He also has no worries that he’ll feel right at home in the city of Atlanta having lived just four hours away in Nashville. Windler played collegiately at Belmont for four years and set up a few roots there. But with Atlanta set to be home for at least the next couple of months, he can’t wait to explore the city.
“Atlanta has got a lot going on and obviously going to games, they got good energy, good crowd, good fan base,” he said. “So looking, looking forward to getting out exploring the city a little bit more.”
