2024-25 Atlanta Hawks Roster Preview: Daeqwon Plowden

The guard will likely spend most of the year in College Park, but could develop into a regular season contributor for Atlanta.

Jul 14, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Daeqwon Plowden (29) defends against a shot attempt by Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis (14) during the first quarter at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Age: 26 (2 seasons in G League)

Height, Weight: 6'6, 216 lbs

2023-24 Averages (G League):  14 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1 assist and 1.1 steals on 48%/41.2%/82.4% splits (16 games)

Career Averages: N/A

Plowden is one of the quieter adds to the Hawks' roster, but it's a move that could pay real dividends for Atlanta in 2024-25. Last season, the injuries that the Hawks suffered gave guard Vit Krejci a chance to make an impact in the last few games of the year. He took advantage of the opportunity and parlayed his success into a long-term deal with Atlanta. Could Plowden do something similar?

It's worth noting that Plowden is currently on an Exhibit 10 deal. He was acquired in a trade with the Magic's G League affiliate in Osceola, so he’ll be likely waived before the season. Once he's waived, he can report to College Park. If he spends at least 60 days with the Hawks’ affiliate, Plowden will be eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K.

When Plowden was on a two-way contract with Golden State earlier this summer, he played on the Warriors’ Summer League roster in both the California Classic and NBA 2K25 Summer League in Las Vegas. H appeared in eight games (eight starts), averaging a combined 14.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 24.5 minutes (.470 FG%, .396 3FG%).

In his time with Osceola, Plowden averaged career highs of 10.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 33 appearances, helping the Magic to a 22-12 regular season record and the No. 1 seed in the East.

The 6’6 guard/forward netted 15-or-more points in 14 games and 20-or-more points five times during the 2023-24 season, including a career-high 25 points against the Memphis Hustle on Nov. 30.

In 57 games (nine starts) combined for the Osceola Magic and Birmingham Squadron, Plowden has averaged 9.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 23.1 minutes per game.

Prior to going undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft, Plowden played in 154 career games (113 starts) during ­five seasons at Bowling Green State University (2017-22), averaging 10.5 points and 6.1 rebounds in 25.5 minutes. He was named to the All-MAC Second Team in 2019-20 and was named to the All-MAC Third Team in both 2020-21 and 2021-22. Plowden was also selected to the 2021-22 MAC All-Defensive team. He is BGSU’s all-time leader in games played (154) and is the only player in program history to record at least 1,200 points, 800 rebounds and 100 blocked shots.

In terms of Plowden's statistical profile, the 41.2% three-point percentage stands out as a possible sign of upside as a roster contributor. It was on fairly significant volume (5.3 attempts per game). It remains to be seen whether the shot holds up at the next level, but he should have plenty of opportunities to prove himself in College Park.

From a two-way perspective, College Park has some history of improving the defensive ability of its prospects. Plowden has good size and solid tools on defense, so there is reason to believe College Park could turn him into a serviceable defender at the next level.

Best-Case Scenario: Plowden gets a few game appearances at the end of the year, shows promise as a three-point shooter (37% on decent volume) and earns himself another contract to stay in College Park.

Worst-Case Scenario: Plowden struggles to make an impression with Atlanta and is not able to latch on in College Park.