Hawks add shooting with Huerter and Spellman

[Jamaaliver]

Not a place to trash the new guys.

Scouting Report for Kevin Huerter

Offensive strengths

With one of the smoothest jumpers in the country, Huerter shot 41.7 percent from three last season, showing the ability to shoot off spot-ups, screens and pull-ups. His shot preparation is excellent, and his release is quick. Huerter also averaged 3.4 assists, and though not a primary playmaker, he has ball-handling skills and a strong passing IQ. He isn't an explosive athlete or advanced one-on-one scorer, but he still managed to rank in the 89th percentile in transition and convert on 14 of 20 isolation opportunities. His touch and feel for the game showed around the basket, where he shot an outstanding 68.2 percent and made eight of 17 runners.




Defensive outlook

Huerter's weak frame won't hold up right away against stronger forwards inside the arc. And he'll never be a defensive playmaker—per 40 minutes, he averaged 0.7 steals and 0.8 blocks. However, he finished with the fourth-fastest shuttle run time at the combine. He moves well laterally and compensates for uninspiring physical tools with defensive IQ. Huerter won't lock anyone down, but he should be able to become a quality team defender.

Projected role: Quality starter

Huerter will always be valued for his shooting first, but he can also score in multiple ways. Skilled off the dribble with positional size, his ceiling is higher than a specialist's such as Kyle Korver's. Like Ingles, Huerter has the chance to offer shooting, secondary playmaking, in-between scoring and smart defense as a quality starter. The long-shot ceiling is Thompson's if Huerter becomes elite with each of his core skills.

Bleacher Report

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SG
Kevin Huerter

6'6"
182 lbs Maryland

Strengths
- Good positional size at 6-7.25 in shoes. Still only 19.7 years old despite being a sophomore -- younger than freshmen Michael Porter Jr., Mohamed Bamba and Deandre Ayton. Solid athlete.
- Complete offensive player. Great balance on his catch-and-shoot jumper. In the 88th percentile as a spot-up player. Excellent timing attacking closeouts. Can sprint off screens into shots with range. Tremendous balance. Ball comes out cleanly. Outstanding passer out of a variety of actions. Quick thinker out of pindowns. Can see over the top out of pick-and-roll, uses both sides of the floor. Hits the roller comfortably. Delivers the ball with either hand. Can rise into pull-ups off the dribble or get to the rim in space. Touch on floaters. Smart cutter. Had 64.2 true shooting percentage as a freshman.
- High intangibles. Competitive. Rebounds his position. Tremendous feel. Impressing teams throughout the interview process. Will maximize his potential.


Improvement areas
- Not a prolific or overtly aggressive scorer -- 15.0 points per 40 minutes in two seasons at Maryland. Comfortable ball-handler but not overly shifty.
- Shies away from contact at times in the paint. Shot only 3.6 free throws per 40 minutes as a sophomore and 1.2 as a freshman. Wants to load up off two feet.
- Defensive upside is a bit limited. Not overly long for his position. Can be a bit upright on the perimeter. Caught on screens. Doesn't quite have the frame to contain legitimate NBA wings right now.

Projected role: High-IQ shotmaker

After picking Trae Young as their point guard of the future, it makes sense for Atlanta to bring in a sharpshooting wing like Kevin Huerter. His addition will give the Hawks perhaps the most lethal shooting combination in the draft. -- Jonathan Givony

ESPN

[jayu70]

Who is Huerter's NBA comp (not Klay)?

[jayu70]

My 1st thought about Spellman was 'he reminds me of Adrein Payne' .
I've got to read up on him.

[Jamaaliver]

My 1st thought about Spellman was 'he reminds me of Adrein Payne' .
I've got to read up on him.

Very poor man's Chris Webber.
Old, slow, fat Boris Diaw.

His shooting and passing should help open up the offense.

6'9"
254 lbs Villanova

Pre-Draft Analysis

Some teams see Spellman as a first-round talent, while others aren't quite ready to ride his NCAA tournament wave. Spellman, who was as heavy as 287 pounds and seen as not a great worker just two-and-a-half years ago, has done an excellent job getting in shape and buying into Jay Wright's system at Villanova. After an up-and-down start to his redshirt freshman season, Spellman averaged 16.6 points and 13.0 rebounds per 40 minutes over his last five games while shooting 40 percent from 3.

Teams will want to see him unleash the motor he showed for flashes in college while defending in space and displaying some level of feel on offense (more turnovers than assists last season).

Spellman's skill level facing the basket, putting the ball on the floor and shooting 3-pointers gives him some intrigue at the NBA level.

Post-Draft Analysis

The Hawks complete the first round with Omari Spellman, a stretch big man who played a huge role in Villanova's national championship run. -- Jonathan Givony

[jayu70]

My 1st thought about Spellman was 'he reminds me of Adrein Payne' .
I've got to read up on him.

Very poor man's Chris Webber.
Old, slow, fat Boris Diaw.

His shooting and passing should help open up the offense.

6'9"
254 lbs Villanova

Pre-Draft Analysis

Some teams see Spellman as a first-round talent, while others aren't quite ready to ride his NCAA tournament wave. Spellman, who was as heavy as 287 pounds and seen as not a great worker just two-and-a-half years ago, has done an excellent job getting in shape and buying into Jay Wright's system at Villanova. After an up-and-down start to his redshirt freshman season, Spellman averaged 16.6 points and 13.0 rebounds per 40 minutes over his last five games while shooting 40 percent from 3.

Teams will want to see him unleash the motor he showed for flashes in college while defending in space and displaying some level of feel on offense (more turnovers than assists last season).

Spellman's skill level facing the basket, putting the ball on the floor and shooting 3-pointers gives him some intrigue at the NBA level.

Post-Draft Analysis

The Hawks complete the first round with Omari Spellman, a stretch big man who played a huge role in Villanova's national championship run. -- Jonathan Givony

He'd better make use of Emory to continue working on his body.

[Jamaaliver]

The Boris Diaw comps seem more and more relevant on this guy:

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[birdlives_ma]

Spellman reminds me a lot of Mike Scott, hopefully without all the off-court BS. Nice value at 30, probably a quality backup to JC for years.

[Jamaaliver]

This decision cost us Lonnie Walker IV, but guaranteed us a shot at Huerter without overpaying.

Hawks GM: Didn't trade up from 19th pick due to media projections

When Atlanta Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk found out who other teams were planning on drafting and that he'd be able to select Kevin Huerter with the 19th overall pick, there was no need to trade up to get the Maryland guard.

Schlenk told 95.7 The Game in San Francisco on Friday that he had a deal in place to acquire the No. 17 pick from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for a draft pick, but he never had to make that deal because the media were projecting picks prior to them being announced.

"Last night, for instance, we had the 19th pick and we're coming down and we're actually talking to Milwaukee on the 17th pick, talking about trading up to get a guy we like," Schlenk said. "There's were a couple of guys we felt really good about on the 19th pick, obviously Kevin [Huerter] was one of them, and it leaked who Milwaukee was going to take.

"So, all of a sudden, we were able to pull back out of that deal and keep the draft pick instead of packaging picks to move up because we knew that two guys on the board we felt really good about and only one team in between us so that was beneficial to us last night."

ESPN

[jayu70]

The Boris Diaw comps seem more and more relevant on this guy:

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Can he pass like Diaw, high BBIQ?

[Jamaaliver]

The Boris Diaw comps seem more and more relevant on this guy:

Read on Twitter

Can he pass like Diaw, high BBIQ?

He can pass very well for a big man. Not quite Diaw level but up there.

And he can shoot.

But he isn't really a high level defender...yet. (A solid weak-side shot blocker though.)

[dms269]

My 1st thought about Spellman was 'he reminds me of Adrein Payne' .
I've got to read up on him.

Very poor man's Chris Webber.
Old, slow, fat Boris Diaw.

His shooting and passing should help open up the offense.

6'9"
254 lbs Villanova

Pre-Draft Analysis

Some teams see Spellman as a first-round talent, while others aren't quite ready to ride his NCAA tournament wave. Spellman, who was as heavy as 287 pounds and seen as not a great worker just two-and-a-half years ago, has done an excellent job getting in shape and buying into Jay Wright's system at Villanova. After an up-and-down start to his redshirt freshman season, Spellman averaged 16.6 points and 13.0 rebounds per 40 minutes over his last five games while shooting 40 percent from 3.

Teams will want to see him unleash the motor he showed for flashes in college while defending in space and displaying some level of feel on offense (more turnovers than assists last season).

Spellman's skill level facing the basket, putting the ball on the floor and shooting 3-pointers gives him some intrigue at the NBA level.

Post-Draft Analysis

The Hawks complete the first round with Omari Spellman, a stretch big man who played a huge role in Villanova's national championship run. -- Jonathan Givony

Boris Diaw who we tried to force to play at pg and refused to shoot the ball or the Boris Diaw who became a decent player for PHX and SA?

[dms269]

I like the idea of Huerter with CLP. He has some of the tools there, but just need some good coaching.

[Jamaaliver]

My 1st thought about Spellman was 'he reminds me of Adrein Payne' .
I've got to read up on him.

Very poor man's Chris Webber.
Old, slow, fat Boris Diaw.

Boris Diaw who we tried to force to play at pg and refused to shoot the ball or the Boris Diaw who became a decent player for PHX and SA?

The latter. He can guard 5s and 3s.

He can make plays well out of the high post.

Can't take his man off the dribble.

He'll likely serve as a secondary initiator/release valve when teams attempt to trap Trae. But the floor will be adequately spaced with Huerter/Prince/Spellman sitting on the perimeter...