Taurean Prince

macd-gm · Post #221 » by **macd-gm** » Wed Oct 3, 2018 2:05 pm

Jamaaliver wrote:Ummm...

Atlanta Hawks: Taurean Prince Is Most Important Player for Future

A dissection of the Atlanta Hawks future and where third-year wing Taurean Prince fits into the team’s nascent rebuild and future ascendancy

The Atlanta Hawks have completely transformed themselves since the incredible run the team went on during the 2014-15 season under the watchful gaze of Coach Mike Budenholzer. With new faces of the franchise on the roster now in John Collins and Trae Young, there is one player who bridges the gap between the old guard and the new: Taurean Prince.

Prince was selected 12th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft, before Atlanta Hawks rebuild maestro Travis Schlenk took over GMing duties. Now, after a breakout second season that saw Prince average 14.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists all while starting all 82 games, leading the Hawks in minutes and shooting 38.5 percent from deep, Prince has set himself up as a focal point for the Atlanta Hawks going forward.

He is also the most important player for the future of the Atlanta Hawks.

Of course Trae Young’s selection could be seen as a definitive answer to what Travis Schlenk values most on an NBA court and the continued growth of John Collins will likely play a major role in the team’s future. But when thinking about the most important and valuable players in the NBA today, versatile and sweet-shooting wings spring to mind as the most important player archetype around the league.

Prince fits that description to a “T.”

While the continued development of Collins and the hopeful superstar turn for Young will lift this new rendition of the Hawks to new heights, the true barometer for the team’s success will be Prince.
Soaring Down South

Written by Demarre Carroll?

Trae and Collins are obviously the most important. But i guess if Prince turns into PG then we really have something.

ChokeFasncists · Post #222 » by **ChokeFasncists** » Wed Oct 3, 2018 10:40 pm

Prince tried to play like LBJ last game. He's not there yet.

jayu70 · Post #223 » by **jayu70** » Thu Oct 4, 2018 1:45 pm

ChokeFasncists wrote:Prince tried to play like LBJ last game. He's not there yet.

I'm not sure I understamd what this means. Can you offer more insight?

ChokeFasncists · Post #224 » by **ChokeFasncists** » Fri Oct 5, 2018 2:09 am

jayu70 wrote:
ChokeFasncists wrote:Prince tried to play like LBJ last game. He's not there yet.

I'm not sure I understamd what this means. Can you offer more insight?

I was just saying, sometimes he was dribbling too much, trying to play point forward, draw defense and make tough passes. The result wasn't very good. It's just preseason tho, it's good he gives this a try. Maybe later he'll grow into that type of player.

jayu70 · Post #225 » by **jayu70** » Tue Oct 9, 2018 2:33 pm

Ranking NBA's Top 15 Small Forwards Entering 2018-19 Season

13. Taurean Prince, Atlanta Hawks

Age: 24

2017-18 Per-Game Stats: 14.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.5 blocks

Advanced Metrics: 12.8 PER, minus-35.32 TPA, minus-1.72 RPM

Taurean Prince is getting tons of love here, and deservedly so. He shined in 2017-18 after the Hawks turned over a larger share of the offense to him.

In his final 31 appearances last season, Prince averaged17.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals while drilling 37.9 percent of his triples. His secondary playmaking remains a nice surprise. He coughed up possessions on 27.3 percent of his pick-and-rolls, but he was brand new to half-court creation. His mistakes will dwindle amid better spacing—shout-out, Trae Young—and with more reps.

Replicating last season's closing surge will be tough, as Prince will cede touches to Young, Kent Bazemore and Jeremy Lin. But the Hawks' power structure is hardly set in stone. He will have plenty of opportunities to broaden his offensive scope, especially if the Hawks trade Bazemore. Prince's defense buoys the rest of this projection. He has the chops to switch between shooting guards and small forwards, and he should stand up against 4s once Atlanta receives more consistent play from its centers.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2793127-ranking-nbas-top-15-small-forwards-entering-2018-19-season#slide0

jayu70 · Post #226 » by **jayu70** » Tue Oct 9, 2018 2:40 pm

Read on Twitter

ChokeFasncists · Post #227 » by **ChokeFasncists** » Tue Oct 9, 2018 8:32 pm

TP: To be honest, I watch a lot of film of myself. Yeah, there are some guys around the league who help get your imagination going [and help you think of new moves]. But I tend to stick to my own film. I think I can be the kind of player that no one has ever seen before. Hopefully I can make that stamp by the time my days in the league are done.

Pretty cool. He's indeed one of a kind.

Post #228 » by **Jamaaliver** » Thu Oct 11, 2018 7:02 pm

Projecting Top 10 Breakout Players During 2018-19 NBA Season

Taurean Prince, Atlanta Hawks

Age at Start of 2018-19: 24

2017-18 Per-Game Stats: 14.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.5 blocks, 42.6 percent shooting

Advanced Metrics: 12.8 PER, minus-35.32 TPA, minus-1.72 RPM

Late-season experimentation did wonders for Taurean Prince's career arc last year. With the Atlanta Hawks tanking and Dennis Schroder watching from the sidelines, Prince was awarded more control over the offense.

He responded with a months-long detonation.

Between Feb. 1 and the end of the season, Prince averaged 17.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting 37.9 percent on 7.3 attempts from behind the rainbow. Atlanta's offense remained bottom-five material during that stretch, but his efficiency amid increased volume was a revelation.

The same goes for his secondary ball-handling, only more so. Prince committed turnovers on 27.3 percent of his pick-and-rolls, but his mistakes will wane with repetition, and he made ball protection a priority over the summer.

"I stayed locked in on my mechanics. Also, I worked on my ball-handling," he told HoopsHype's Alex Kennedy. "I just want to be tighter with the ball because then I can get to my spots."

Opportunity shouldn't be too much harder for Prince to come by this season. The Hawks have Trae Young, but they need on-ball threats to maximize his movement and range away from the action. Kent Bazemore and Jeremy Lin won't cut it on their own, and even if they do, neither is a part of Atlanta's big picture.

Prince's defense will balance out whatever voids wind up sticking in his offensive repertoire. He can hang with both 2s and 3s, and lineups that deploy him as a small-ball 4 should survive on defense if the Hawks extract any sort of consistency from the center rotation.

Bleacher Report

jayu70 · Post #229 » by **jayu70** » Fri Oct 19, 2018 7:41 pm

Read on Twitter

jayu70 · Post #230 » by **jayu70** » Thu Oct 25, 2018 12:57 pm

Read on Twitter

Post #231 » by **Jamaaliver** » Thu Oct 25, 2018 1:27 pm

The dude is entering his prime.

I can't help but wonder if other teams around the league see the production/efficiency/contract and are willing to make an aggressive trade offer for him.

Read on Twitter

jayu70 · Post #232 » by **jayu70** » Thu Oct 25, 2018 1:30 pm

Jamaaliver wrote:The dude is entering his prime.

I can't help but wonder if other teams around the league see the production/efficiency/contract and are willing to make an aggressive trade offer for him.

Read on Twitter

what do you consider an 'aggressive' trade offer?

jayu70 · Post #233 » by **jayu70** » Thu Oct 25, 2018 4:43 pm

Read on Twitter

The small forward didn’t want to know just where he was supposed to be on the court at all times in a new system. He wanted to know where everyone else was supposed to be as well.

“That’s the beauty of Taurean,” Pierce said. “Right from the jump he said ‘Coach, I want to be a facilitator. I want to be able to study and understand what we are doing. I want to know all the wrinkles, what you see and why you are calling certain sets.’”

Dating back to last season, Prince has scored 20-plus points in seven of his last eight games. He is shooting .492 from the field, including .419 from 3-point range, and averaging 5.0 rebounds this season.

That’s the offensive side. Prince knows it’s the defensive side where he can make the biggest impact. That was part of the reason the Hawks acquired Prince, a long, athletic win, after he was taken with the 12th pick in 2016.

“I want to make sure I stay aware on defense,” Prince said. “I think that’s where I can really be a problem. I haven’t really reached yet or shown people yet. It’s here and there. I’m trying to get more consistent. That’s big for me going into the season. The offense will take care of itself the way with the way we move the ball and the type of team we are.”

Ball4life32 · Post #234 » by **Ball4life32** » Thu Oct 25, 2018 5:54 pm

Jamaaliver wrote:The dude is entering his prime.

I can't help but wonder if other teams around the league see the production/efficiency/contract and are willing to make an aggressive trade offer for him.

Read on Twitter

Taurean is a stud and only 24 years old. Have no interest in trading him.

Post #235 » by **Jamaaliver** » Thu Oct 25, 2018 5:56 pm

^NOTED

ChokeFasncists · Post #236 » by **ChokeFasncists** » Fri Oct 26, 2018 9:25 pm

It's not like the three rookies are super raw, no need to trade Prince IMO.

Future coach?

He's got some unstoppable moves, is great 3&D, never gives up. He could be an all star soon.

Post #237 » by **Jamaaliver** » Mon Oct 29, 2018 5:47 pm

Key piece of our future team...or the single most valuable trade asset we possess?

Read on Twitter

He didn’t play much to begin his rookie season, but by the end, he was the starting small forward for the Hawks the last time they reached the playoffs.

Prince has continued to make giant strides as a scorer. As a full-time starter in 2016-2017, Prince averaged 14.1 points per game and shot nearly 40% from the three-point line.

Prince’s shooting ability is what had many scouts hesitant about his future in the NBA. He showed promise as a scorer at the college level, but never showed enough improvement over 4 years at Baylor for people to believe he would be a prominent scoring threat in the NBA.

Fortunately, he hasn’t let his doubters effect him, breaking out early in year three. Though a small sample size (5 games), Prince is averaging 20.6 points per game, shooting 46.7% from the field and 41.7% from the three-point line. His efficiency is way up...

The real question is whether this type of offensive efficiency is here to stay. Based off what I’ve seen throughout the offseason and the early part of this season, the answer to that is a resounding YES. It’s realistic to expect 20 points from this guy every time he steps on the court.

ChokeFasncists · Post #238 » by **ChokeFasncists** » Mon Oct 29, 2018 9:50 pm

I guess whether he will be traded depends on whether Huerter needs to be the starting 3

jayu70 · Post #239 » by **jayu70** » Mon Oct 29, 2018 11:00 pm

ChokeFasncists wrote:I guess whether he will be traded depends on whether Huerter needs to be the starting 3

For the immediate future, I see Baze traded to give more time at SG to Bembry and Huerter.

ChokeFasncists · Post #240 » by **ChokeFasncists** » Mon Oct 29, 2018 11:06 pm

jayu70 wrote:
ChokeFasncists wrote:I guess whether he will be traded depends on whether Huerter needs to be the starting 3

For the immediate future, I see Baze traded to give more time at SG to Bembry and Huerter.

Possibly, if he keeps up the good performance. But the thing is, it looks to me like Huerter's position is really a 3 later on when he gets more muscles.