De’Andre Hunter missed over a month of action from December 20 to January 30 due to soreness in his right knee following a non-surgical surgery. With his history of injuries, head coach Quin Snyder of the Atlanta Hawks decided to take him off the bench and limit his playing time while he healed.
In addition to improving Hunter’s health, this adjustment saw an increase in his offensive output from his rookie year. After only 26 games as a substitute during his career and 224 games as a starter, Hunter made a 180-degree turn around.
The Hawks needed a number of players to step up after their All-Star point guard, Trae Young, injured his left finger ligament. Without Young, Dejounte Murray accounts for the majority of usage (30.4%). Young is replaced in the starting lineup by Bogdan Bogdanović, which reduces Atlanta’s bench scoring. But Hunter’s offensive skill has filled in that gap. During this period, Atlanta’s forward had eight games with 20 points or more, but just three games with at least 10 points off the bench.
On February 5, Hunter faced the Los Angeles Clippers and scored 27 points in 19 minutes in his third game back from injury. He made 10–12 field goals and three three-pointers. On March 15, there was another explosion against the Utah Jazz. With a percentage of 58% from the field, he scored 27 points overall, including 5–7 from beyond the arc.
Tyrese Haliburton and Donovan Mitchell are two NBA players that highly praise Snyder’s offensive approach. Aggressively attacking the rim and making threes, which are two of the most effective shots in the game nowadays, are two essential components of his offensive strategy. In the past, Hunter was unsuccessful in these endeavors. He is most effective in the mid-range, when he can score by facing up and using a sequence of triple-threat techniques.
