If you subscribe to The Athletic (I’m not sure why I do), great article on Dre today.
He’s improved so much off the dribble
That’s what jumped out at me, he was never a great ball handler, but appears to be creating shots now which you need to do in the NBA
The Athletic article specifically mentions his trainer being impressed with his ball handling during a drill “in tight parameters while being guarded by two defenders.” Said Dre handled it with ease, which only a few of his clients have done. He has obviously put in the work.
That’s awesome. The fact he’s putting in the work (never doubted he would) and that he’s finding the right people to work with is huge Watched a few games here in Atl and the increase in his confidence is evident compared to last year.
I watched a good deal of the Hawks game last night and came away thinking that Dre is a much different player now than he was at UVA. Better handle, more athleticism and bounce, more aggressive on offense, and more confident overall. I doubt he’s really more athletic or bouncier, but since his first year at UVA, I always felt that what held him back was his lack of confidence and as his confidence improved at UVA so did the rest of his game. Really incredible rise for him over the last 5 years-- you could argue it speaks well for our coaches handling of his development (though I’m sure others will argue we held him back).
He looks more fluid in his movements too. Don’t know if that’s just confidence or improved flexibility or what but he seems to have gotten rid of that ‘robotic’ nature he was knocked for during his draft process.
Announcer: “This kid ain’t joking!” Love it. Hunter is balling.
Another nice piece on Dre
Gill starting for the wizards tonight
Great things said about Dre!
This is such a key quote out of this article that we need to show with recruits…
"It’s not just that Hunter can do so many things—it’s the speed at which he is able to do them. Hunter didn’t need a long time to develop because he came into the league at 21. He spent three years at Virginia, which has churned out many future pros under Tony Bennett, where he developed both his body and his game. Older prospects like Hunter often get criticized in the predraft process because of a perceived lack of upside. But upside doesn’t do much for a team that needs to win immediately. The Hawks couldn’t afford to wait on a long-term project. They needed Hunter to be good quickly to cover for some of their other young players.
The contrast between Hunter and Reddish, the no. 10 pick in the 2019 draft, is telling. Reddish, a 21-year-old who spent only one season at Duke, is a better athlete and more gifted scorer than his fellow second-year wing. But he’s not nearly as strong as Hunter, nor does he consistently make the same good decisions with the ball."
rats might be same knee that was sore a few games ago where he sat out. Good that it is non-surgical though
Articular wear and tear…that doesn’t sound to great at his young age…hope the description sounds worse than what it is…
Agreed at the very least it sounds like something thst could be a lingering problem and I’m not sure what a nonsurgical procedure can do to truly fix it