De'Andre Hunter: The Steady Eddy

[JayBirdHawk]

1 hour ago, JayBirdHawk said:

 

 

 

Thought I'd add this too:

Quote

Pierce said he believes Hunter doesn’t care about individual accolades, which judging from his time speaking with the media, seems like an apt observation. Minutes after Pierce spoke Sunday night, Hunter said matter of factly, “It’s cool to have a career high, but it would have been better to do it in a victory. We just have to come back, watch film and get ready for the next time.”

That’s who Hunter is. He wants to be known as a winner in this league rather than get the individual spotlight on himself, but he does want to be known as something else, too. Collins shared after the game that the training staff gave Hunter the nickname “Megatron,” because of how strong he is. In the “Transformers” franchise, Megatron is the prime antagonist to the protagonist Optimus Prime, who is the leader of the Autobots and consistently makes good decisions.

It’s a fitting nickname for Hunter.

“It’s not Megatron, actually,” Hunter playfully jabbed at Collins’ mistake. “It’s Optimus. For everybody out there, you can call me Optimus. I like Optimus. I’ve been trying to get it out there.”

“Optimus” Hunter officially has transformed into a rising star in the NBA.

[EazyRoc]

46 minutes ago, aali34 said:

His raw stats are comparable to Kawhi's 4th season when he was also 23. The visible differences are that Dre's been more efficient but Kawhi netted more boards, steals, and blocks.

If he keeps playing like this his end of the year offensive numbers might end up more like year 5 Kawhi.

I don't know if Dre has a DPOY trophy in his future but he could honestly get pretty close to Kawhi if he tightens his handle, improves his shot release speed, and works on his footwork and post fade. Those were things Leonard didn't fully bring out consistently untill years 5 and 6.

This jump is amazing given he played an incomplete season and had less practice time.  

I hope HE can take on the leadership role from the team. I think if he keeps this up, he may be the guy who can reign Trae in respectfully so that we can get the Trae we saw in the very beginning of the season.

[RedDawg#8]

Optimus it is. So said he, it shall be done.

 

[Jody23]

[AHF]

18 minutes ago, Jody23 said:

Winner, winner chicken dinner.

[Wretch]

I liked what I saw last year and it is clear that he put in some serious work over the summer.  We all knew he had a high floor, but I don't know why I bought into the "limited ceiling" hype.  I felt he might eventually grow into a rock solid #3, but man...his game is looking STRONG.  I'm sold.  Like...I might be done looking around type sold.  Not that I gave any real thought to his trade value, it's more like...I'm starting to think we may not need to add anything at all to this core.

Cam worries me.  Not the talent, because it's there...  Like Marvin, it seems to be the mental part of the game that he struggles with.  Some of the stuff he does with the ball...there's no way he just incidentally makes those plays.  Seems like he might be thinking too much.  I'm going to chalk it up to youth/consistency and let the man figure it out...  I just hope with all of the efficient scorers we have on this team that he doesn't lose confidence and melt into the background.

[terrell]

Hunter was always my guy Peo...lol

@terrell

·

Jun 10, 2020

 

We basically gave up Taurean Prince and Jaxson Hayes for Hunter. Prince is awful. And Hayes ceiling is Capela. Win for the Hawks imo. We werent drafting 3 more rookies anyway. GM traded up for who he wanted.

 

@terrell

·

Jun 10, 2020

 

Hunter came from one of the slowest offenses Ive ever seen at UVA. Unlike Barnes at UNC.And he was fine as a rookie.(he made plenty of clutch shots/plays).Plug Hunter in between Steph, Klay, and Draymond and Id expect similar results..Hunter will be better than Barnes easily imo

@terrell

·

May 28, 2020

 

Hunter was fine as a rookie. He came from one of the slowest offenses in history at UVA...It takes time to adjust. One things for sure, his clutch gene carried over. He hit a ton of HUGE shots for us........

 

@terrell

·

May 12, 2020

 

Start Cam at the 2. Huerter off the bench. Trae/Huerter combo defense is too bad. Trae/Cam/Hunter/Collins/Capela

 

@terrell

·

Apr 6, 2020

 

Trae/Cam/Hunter/Collins/Capela

 

@terrell

 

Replying to

@eccentricladdie

None of those players will be better than Hunter. lol

 

7:51 AM · Nov 21, 2019·Twitter Web App

 

@terrell

·

Oct 24, 2019

 

Hunter is a beast..Reddish played well too. Shots werent falling but his defense was outstanding..Also 7 boards.

 

@terrell

 

·Jul 12, 2019

 

Replying to@AeroLance

I like Reddish too, but Hawks needed a lock down defender who could guard multiple positions. And Hunter was the best in the draft imo..

 

 

@terrell

·

Jul 11, 2019

Replying to

@AeroLance

Hawks needed a starting sf who could shoot and play defense, so they moved up to get the who they believe is the best one. They couldnt care less about Hayes or NAW....lol

 

 

@terrellbarron

·

Jun 21, 2019

 

Young/Huerter/Hunter/Collins/Len will be the starters. Baze gives us nothing but leadership at this point..

 

 

@terrell

·

Jun 14, 2019

 

Replying to

@BTRowland

Yeah Cam might the better creator, but Its hard to be creative in Tony Bennet's offense..Size, Defense, Smarts, hits open 3's. Perfect fit for the Hawks at sf and small ball PF imo. I like Cam too btw. I just think Hunters the better player. Thats all.

 

@terrell

·

Jun 14, 2019

 

Replying to

@HawksDraftNerd

Hunter is being slept on imo. 

 

@terrell

·

Jun 12, 2019

 

Replying

@DevonairJackson

Ive seen nothing to make me believe Cam is going to be better than Deandre Hunter in 2-3 years. But Ive been wrong before...

[Peoriabird]

45 minutes ago, terrell said:

Hunter was always my guy Peo...lol

@terrell

·

Jun 10, 2020

 

We basically gave up Taurean Prince and Jaxson Hayes for Hunter. Prince is awful. And Hayes ceiling is Capela. Win for the Hawks imo. We werent drafting 3 more rookies anyway. GM traded up for who he wanted.

 

@terrell

·

Jun 10, 2020

 

Hunter came from one of the slowest offenses Ive ever seen at UVA. Unlike Barnes at UNC.And he was fine as a rookie.(he made plenty of clutch shots/plays).Plug Hunter in between Steph, Klay, and Draymond and Id expect similar results..Hunter will be better than Barnes easily imo

@terrell

·

May 28, 2020

 

Hunter was fine as a rookie. He came from one of the slowest offenses in history at UVA...It takes time to adjust. One things for sure, his clutch gene carried over. He hit a ton of HUGE shots for us........

 

@terrell

·

May 12, 2020

 

Start Cam at the 2. Huerter off the bench. Trae/Huerter combo defense is too bad. Trae/Cam/Hunter/Collins/Capela

 

@terrell

·

Apr 6, 2020

 

Trae/Cam/Hunter/Collins/Capela

 

@terrell

 

Replying to

@eccentricladdie

None of those players will be better than Hunter. lol

 

7:51 AM · Nov 21, 2019·Twitter Web App

 

@terrell

·

Oct 24, 2019

 

Hunter is a beast..Reddish played well too. Shots werent falling but his defense was outstanding..Also 7 boards.

 

@terrell

 

·Jul 12, 2019

 

Replying to@AeroLance

I like Reddish too, but Hawks needed a lock down defender who could guard multiple positions. And Hunter was the best in the draft imo..

 

 

@terrell

·

Jul 11, 2019

Replying to

@AeroLance

Hawks needed a starting sf who could shoot and play defense, so they moved up to get the who they believe is the best one. They couldnt care less about Hayes or NAW....lol

 

 

@terrellbarron

·

Jun 21, 2019

 

Young/Huerter/Hunter/Collins/Len will be the starters. Baze gives us nothing but leadership at this point..

 

 

@terrell

·

Jun 14, 2019

 

Replying to

@BTRowland

Yeah Cam might the better creator, but Its hard to be creative in Tony Bennet's offense..Size, Defense, Smarts, hits open 3's. Perfect fit for the Hawks at sf and small ball PF imo. I like Cam too btw. I just think Hunters the better player. Thats all.

 

@terrell

·

Jun 14, 2019

 

Replying to

@HawksDraftNerd

Hunter is being slept on imo. 

 

@terrell

·

Jun 12, 2019

 

Replying

@DevonairJackson

Ive seen nothing to make me believe Cam is going to be better than Deandre Hunter in 2-3 years. But Ive been wrong before...

Good job Terrell!  A few of us were right there with you!

[terrell]

7 minutes ago, Peoriabird said:

Good job Terrell!  A few of us were right there with you!

A few more..lol

 

@terrell

·

Jun 12, 2019

 

Replying to

@escott1028

and

@DevonairJackson

I like Hunters upside with our squad as well as being ready now.

 

@terrell

·

Jun 12, 2019

 

Replying to

@DevonairJackson

and

@escott1028

I like stability over potential this year. Reddish is gonna take 3 or 4 years to develop imo. Trae Collins will be FAR ahead of where Cam is....Hunter is a plug and play guy. Offensively and defensively. His playmaking is slept on. JUst my opinion. Im taking HUnter if hes there..

 

Edited January 25, 2021 by terrell

[Marvin24Williams]

His offensive game is so underrated.. just needs to continue to tighten that handle so he doesn’t get stripped as much. Hope the Bucks game gives him more opportunities in PnRs and post ups moving forward. Coaching staff isn’t maximizing his talent by just letting him stand around in the corners waiting for drive and kicks. 

Edited January 25, 2021 by Marvin24Williams

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[NBASupes]

26 minutes ago, Marvin24Williams said:

His offensive game is so underrated.. just needs to continue to tighten that handle so he doesn’t get stripped as much. Hope the Bucks game gives him more opportunities in PnRs and post ups moving forward. Coaching staff isn’t maximizing his talent by just letting him stand around in the corners waiting for drive and kicks. 

Expecting him to get this amount of touches with Trae is unlikely

[JTB]

We put our own against each other too much and too many are looking to be right about their opinion and crucify others for whatever benefit.... with that said I’m glad Hunter is heading into a all star direction. I am one of those who was worried about how Hunter put the ball on the floor last season. That has obviously changed as he’s shown huge improvement with his on ball scoring in a matter of just a year. 
 

while cam also has his dribbling issues last season and this season...it seemed more mental than natural ability. Last season Hunter dribbling felt like a natural ability he just didn’t have similar to Giannis when he first entered the league.

 

hunters dribbling ability takes his ceiling through the roof just like it did for Giannis. Once Giannis got comfortable putting the ball on the floor the mvps came. 
 

im not one to put our players against one another and I still believe Cam has all star potential that just hasn’t been unleashed yet. The great thing is that now atleast for me I feel both Hunter and cam will be long time all stars. We just need cam to get his confidence up like Hunters. 
 

Last quick mention last season cam was the better defender but Hunter is playing lights out on both sides and looks much quicker defensively this season in his lateral movements. His progress in just one off season is truly off the charts! In comparison Leonard wasn’t putting up these numbers Hunter is putting up until year 4!

[JTB]

2 hours ago, NBASupes said:

Expecting him to get this amount of touches with Trae is unlikely

I said last season that Hunter had a joe johnson feel to his game offensively. If Hunter is going to be as good as he was in the bucks game or close to it on a nightly basis NOT expecting him to get a good amount of touches even with Trae on the court is inexcusable in my opinion.

Hunter is showing that he could be this team second best ball handler in the starting lineup. While we don’t know yet if he will turn into more of a play maker his scoring ability while putting the ball on the floor is something we need especially when Trae starts to get trapped.

 

not to shit on collins because he’s long been viewed by most as the teams second best player and perhaps he is but I’ve said from the beginning that collins can’t really be your second best scorer because he’s not a guy who has shown the ability to put the ball on the floor and score on his own. Collins has been scoring a lot more on size ups in the midrange area and I think he should have more opportunities to show that ability within the offense but Hunter like Trae is showing he can go get a bucket! 
 

if you have a guy who can go get a bucket you make sure they get their scoring opportunities just like we do Trae. I’m not saying he’s on Traes level offensively to score at will but There’s no need to play Hunter like a 3&D only guy...to me he’s showing more than enough ability to take some pressure off Trae as not having to be another guy Trae has to set up to score . It’s a GREAT benefit that hunter is showing he can score on his own and we really need another go to on ball scorer by Trae.

[NBASupes]

4 hours ago, JTB said:

I said last season that Hunter had a joe johnson feel to his game offensively. If Hunter is going to be as good as he was in the bucks game or close to it on a nightly basis NOT expecting him to get a good amount of touches even with Trae on the court is inexcusable in my opinion.

Hunter is showing that he could be this team second best ball handler in the starting lineup. While we don’t know yet if he will turn into more of a play maker his scoring ability while putting the ball on the floor is something we need especially when Trae starts to get trapped.

 

not to shit on collins because he’s long been viewed by most as the teams second best player and perhaps he is but I’ve said from the beginning that collins can’t really be your second best scorer because he’s not a guy who has shown the ability to put the ball on the floor and score on his own. Collins has been scoring a lot more on size ups in the midrange area and I think he should have more opportunities to show that ability within the offense but Hunter like Trae is showing he can go get a bucket! 
 

if you have a guy who can go get a bucket you make sure they get their scoring opportunities just like we do Trae. I’m not saying he’s on Traes level offensively to score at will but There’s no need to play Hunter like a 3&D only guy...to me he’s showing more than enough ability to take some pressure off Trae as not having to be another guy Trae has to set up to score . It’s a GREAT benefit that hunter is showing he can score on his own and we really need another go to on ball scorer by Trae.

I actually like the role JC is in this year but JC doesn't. 

[Wretch]

12 hours ago, JTB said:

if you have a guy who can go get a bucket you make sure they get their scoring opportunities just like we do Trae. I’m not saying he’s on Traes level offensively to score at will but There’s no need to play Hunter like a 3&D only guy...to me he’s showing more than enough ability to take some pressure off Trae as not having to be another guy Trae has to set up to score . It’s a GREAT benefit that hunter is showing he can score on his own and we really need another go to on ball scorer by Trae.

Exactly.  First, this is on coaching.  You've got to make sure this man gets his touches and you have to do what you can to sort out the pecking order.  Secondly, the fact that he can work independently of Trae means that he take the pressure off of him AND he set him up - especially with his handles looking so good.  If Hunter starts drawing consistent doubles, it's over.

Collins can still thrive because the pressure those two would create would open him up for lobs, put-backs, and if we're moving the ball...he will get plenty of spot up opportunities.  Not to mention the Dre/Collins pnr with Trae spotting up.  We would have too many weapons and apparently we're solid defensively...lol

I'm not going to dump on LP, but he has to show that he can get the most out of this team.  If Dre can keep this up...our floor should be the upper-middle.

[NBASupes]

15 minutes ago, Wretch said:

Exactly.  First, this is on coaching.  You've got to make sure this man gets his touches and you have to do what you can to sort out the pecking order.  Secondly, the fact that he can work independently of Trae means that he take the pressure off of him AND he set him up - especially with his handles looking so good.  If Hunter starts drawing consistent doubles, it's over.

Collins can still thrive because the pressure those two would create would open him up for lobs, put-backs, and if we're moving the ball...he will get plenty of spot up opportunities.  Not to mention the Dre/Collins pnr with Trae spotting up.  We would have too many weapons and apparently we're solid defensively...lol

I'm not going to dump on LP, but he has to show that he can get the most out of this team.  If Dre can keep this up...our floor should be the upper-middle.

Collins ain't trying to thrive. He's trying to get paid and get a max contract. He's thriving right now and is not happy.

[Lurker]

I thought De'Andre Hunter had a chance to be good, but it's apparent that I missed on his upside. 

He really looks like baby Middleton or maybe even baby Kawhi on offense.

[macdaddy]

1 hour ago, NBASupes said:

Collins ain't trying to thrive. He's trying to get paid and get a max contract. He's thriving right now and is not happy.

Is this based on inside information or just a hunch?   he looks pretty happy.

[Jdawgflow]

16 hours ago, JTB said:

I said last season that Hunter had a joe johnson feel to his game offensively. If Hunter is going to be as good as he was in the bucks game or close to it on a nightly basis NOT expecting him to get a good amount of touches even with Trae on the court is inexcusable in my opinion.

Hunter is showing that he could be this team second best ball handler in the starting lineup. While we don’t know yet if he will turn into more of a play maker his scoring ability while putting the ball on the floor is something we need especially when Trae starts to get trapped.

 

not to shit on collins because he’s long been viewed by most as the teams second best player and perhaps he is but I’ve said from the beginning that collins can’t really be your second best scorer because he’s not a guy who has shown the ability to put the ball on the floor and score on his own. Collins has been scoring a lot more on size ups in the midrange area and I think he should have more opportunities to show that ability within the offense but Hunter like Trae is showing he can go get a bucket! 
 

if you have a guy who can go get a bucket you make sure they get their scoring opportunities just like we do Trae. I’m not saying he’s on Traes level offensively to score at will but There’s no need to play Hunter like a 3&D only guy...to me he’s showing more than enough ability to take some pressure off Trae as not having to be another guy Trae has to set up to score . It’s a GREAT benefit that hunter is showing he can score on his own and we really need another go to on ball scorer by Trae.

I think the JJ comparison is a good one because he was crazy strong too.