The Atlanta Hawks have had a mixed start to the 2023-24 NBA season. After a disappointing 2022-23 season, where they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, the Hawks made several moves in the offseason to improve their team. However, one player has been a big disappointment for the Hawks so far this season. Let's take a look at why De'Andre Hunter has been the biggest disappointment for the Hawks in the 2023-24 NBA season.
The Hawks' season so far
The Atlanta Hawks have had a decent start to the 2023-24 NBA season, with a record of 5-4. They have looked like a much better team under the guidance of head coach Quin Snyder. He has done wonders for a team that had struggled with internal issues last season. The Hawks have been one of the league's best offensive teams in the first two weeks. This is despite Trae Young being off to a career-worst start shooting. For the record, Young is shooting under 36.0 percent from the field right now.
For his part, Dejounte Murray has been a key player for the Hawks. averaging a career-high 21.9 points and 5.6 assists per game. Third-year player Jalen Johnson has also been a pleasant surprise. The former Duke Blue Devil has truly made the most of increased playing time. He is putting up career-highs in scoring (14.2), rebounding (6.6), and three-point percentage (34.6). However, the Hawks have struggled defensively, which was a major issue for them last season. As of this writing, they have allowed the second-most points in the paint and ranked in the bottom third in the league in transition defense and second-chance points.
Now let us look at the Atlanta Hawks' most disappointing player so far early in the 2023-24 NBA regular season.
De'Andre Hunter
De'Andre Hunter has been the biggest disappointment for the Hawks so far this season. Hunter was drafted fourth overall by the Hawks in the 2019 NBA draft and was expected to be a key player for the team. However, he has struggled to live up to expectations and has been a liability on both ends of the court. Hunter is averaging just 13.8 points per game on 44.7 percent field goal shooting from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point range. He has also been a liability on defense, with a defensive rating of 115.8.
A Big Disappointment
Hunter's numbers are slightly down from last season, which is a bummer since we hoped he would take a leap in production. Instead, he has gone the other way. Hunter's last few games have also been disappointing. He has averaged just 8.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assist per game over their last four contests. He has also shot 27.8 percent in that period. Yes, Hunter has shown flashes of potential in the past. However, he has been unable to put it all together so far this season.
CHET ABSOLUTELY STUFFS DEANDRE HUNTER
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR pic.twitter.com/XDLvOGajZz
— Topic: Thunder Podcast (@OKCTopicThunder) November 7, 2023
Looking Ahead
The Atlanta Hawks have had a mixed start to the 2023-24 NBA season, with a record of 5-4. While they have looked like a much better team under the guidance of head coach Quin Snyder, they have struggled defensively. One player who has been a big disappointment for the Hawks so far this season is De'Andre Hunter. Hunter has struggled to find his shooting touch and has been a liability on defense. If the Hawks want to be successful this season, they will need Hunter to step up and play to his potential.
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