1 year ago, Bazemore was the most hated player on the Hawks

[Peoriabird]

[edited to more clearly include weblinks and quote boxes. ~lw3]

 

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Atlanta Hawks roundtable: Who will be the team’s best player in 2018-2019?

The future is the focus but what about 2018-19 only?

By Brad Rowland@BTRowland Aug 23, 2018, 8:00am EDT

 

https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2018/8/23/17762246/atlanta-hawks-roundtable-best-player-kent-bazemore-taurean-prince-john-collins-trae-young-jeremy-lin#comments

 

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

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In the dog days of August, fresh NBA content can be sparse but Peachtree Hoops cuts through the silence for an off-season roundtable series centering on the Atlanta Hawks. Part eight centers on finding Atlanta’s best player for ONLY the 2018-19 season.

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• Brad Rowland - This is very difficult. I will go down with the ship in saying that Kent Bazemore was the team’s best player in 2017-18 and he very well might be the best player at this moment. With that said, both Taurean Prince and John Collins have higher ceilings, even within the confines of this season. Without much conviction, I’m going to say Collins makes the leap required to “win” this honor but it will likely be one of the three players listed here, even if Trae Young takes the headlines...
• Jeff Siegel - It’s still Bazemore, though Collins will give him a run for his money. Given what we saw from Bazemore last year, it’s fair to expect that he’ll continue to make strides as a secondary playmaker and will continue to give the high level of effort defensively to which we’ve become accustomed.
• Josh Lane - If Kent Bazemore is still on the team, then it is Kent. If not, I believe John Collins holds a slight edge over Taurean Prince...
• Sam Meredith - My feelings on Kent Bazemore are well known so I’ll give this honor to him. His advanced shooting numbers and assists suggest a huge year is coming for him. It would not surprise me to see Baze in the All-Star game this season, but I am not predicting that...
• Zach Hood - Kent Bazemore. Bazemore is a high-end shooter as well as a high-end defender, and I don’t think there’s another Hawk than can boast an elite skill on each end of the floor. Playing alongside a play-maker like Young should be a welcome change for all Hawks, and with spacing being preached religiously by Lloyd Pierce, I expect Bazemore to score more this season while maintaining his efficiency.

 

 

[macdaddy]

It is weird.  Most guys look better on the court than their numbers suggest.  Baze is a guy who's numbers are impressive but when you watch him it seems like he makes a lot of bone headed plays.   

[benhillboy]

That’s funny.  These guys don’t watch the Hawks much.  Raw PER was true in ranking our “best” players last year: John, Dennis, Ded, Illy, then Baze.  I fully expect Lin and Spelman to have higher PERs by season’s end as well.

[benhillboy]

Oh, Len too.

[AHF]

Squawk roundtable:

 

AHF - It is John Collins and it isn't particularly close unless Trae explodes on the NBA with an impact like he had on college basketball.

Spud - Gonna say Collins because he will raise the bar and still jump high enough to dunk over it.

GM - Prince's 84.4% FT% made him the best returning player from last year.  This year will be a race between him and Young.

Peoria - Dennis.  Because the team would not and did not trade him.

KB - No player on the Hawks can be good because the team is tanking and tanking only produces losers.  They are doomed until at least 2112.  

Supes -  Horford and Zion are the greatest Hawks and probably greatest players in the history of the game.

Spud - Did someone mention Zion?  Dude got no skillz.  Over.......rated...

KG -     

JayBird - These guys need to earn my love and prove it to me.  Can't wait to cheer for my Hawks!

lw3 - "Hawks' Pick Young Carries Big Birden, But Egrets Nothing Cause He's Got The Talont To Be The Year's Most Pheasant Surprise"

 

 

 

[Gray Mule]

We've all been reminded, over and over, that this team is sadly lacking in talent and the coach and his staff either don't know what they are doing or they are deliberately going for the worst place finish this season.

Should they succeed and win the grand prize, #1 draft pick, they will be so accustomed to losing that they will continue to lose, for ever and ever.

However, Prince will be the best Hawk followed by Alex Len.

[Peoriabird]

14 minutes ago, Gray Mule said:

However, Prince will be the best Hawk followed by Alex Len.

 

They need to be careful because if they are too good, the trade rumors will start!

[benhillboy]

Prince is one of those guys who feasts or famines based on coaching.  If he can maintain 12 shots a game but boost that percentage around .450 he’ll look damn good.  I don’t want him to revert back to logging empty minutes like he did the first half of last season.

[JayBirdHawk]

Baze as the best player in 2017-18??????....bunch a jack legs, especially Brad - his love for Muscala was annoying and irrational.

Baze was our most consistant player last season, I give him that. When you compare his 2016-17 season to last season, then yeah - he'll look like the best player since his numbers the previous year were all kinda HORRID.

Baze started last season needing to attach an asset to dump his contract, by the trade deadline, neutral value, by the end of the season, talk of getting an actual asset. So considering where he started vs where his value is today - Good for the Hawks.

Best Player though? In what universe.

[Spud2nique]

33 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Baze as the best player in 2017-18??????....bunch a jack legs, especially Brad - his love for Muscala was annoying and irrational.

Baze was our most consistant player last season, I give him that. When you compare his 2016-17 season to last season, then yeah - he'll look like the best player since his numbers the previous year were all kinda HORRID.

Baze started last season needing to attach an asset to dump his contract, by the trade deadline, neutral value, by the end of the season, talk of getting an actual asset. So considering where he started vs where his value is today - Good for the Hawks.

Best Player though? In what universe.

Wait, Brad said Gaze was best? Hmmm... ? 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Me:  "Alex, let me get ( Things I'd Never Thought I'd Ever See )  . . for 800."

Alex:  "60% of Atlanta Hawks fans now think he's the best player on the team."

Me:  "Who is KENT BAZEMORE?"

Alex:  "Correct"

 

[Spud2nique]

9 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Me:  "Alex, let me get ( Things I'd Never Thought I'd Ever See )  . . for 800."

Alex:  "60% of Atlanta Hawks fans now think he's the best player on the team."

Me:  "Who is KENT BAZEMORE?"

Alex:  "Correct"

 

 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

24 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

 

 

O . . . . . K

[Spud2nique]

20 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

 

O . . . . . K

Sorry ? it was a play on the jeopardy thing..and it included ?..what was I ? 

[RedDawg#8]

If Kent turns out to be the best player then that’ll only prove just how bad we are playing this year.

 

[Spud2nique]

I think it’s gonna be Collins stat wise and Prince impact wise. 

[HawkItus]

Collins will take the reins this year with the governors off.

[AHF]

8 hours ago, Spud2nique said:

I think it’s gonna be Collins stat wise and Prince impact wise. 

It was Collins stat wise last season and it wasn't close.

[LamarHampton]

I don't know who Sam Meredith is but I have to assume he is either a heavy drug user or a prankster. Why else would you even discuss Baze as an All Star?

[capstone21]

I expect the most growth from Collins ... his PT will go up and if he can stay out of foul trouble so will his production.  He wants to compete ... he didn't have to play in Summer League but he was excited to.