Where Does Kevin Huerter Rank In 2018 NBA Draft Class?

The shooting guard has made steady progress.

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Despite the ups and downs over the course of the regular season, the Atlanta Hawks managed to garner a winning record of 43-39 to finish their campaign, predicating the brunt of their success on the backbone of their elite offense.

Just to give you an idea, the Hawks finished the season sixth in points per game, (113.9), seventh in field goal percentage (47.0), second in three-point percentage (37.4), fourth in free throw percentage (81.2), and committed the fewest turnovers per game as well (11.9). From a very sharp shooting efficiency across the board to rarely letting turnovers interfere with their success, the Hawks have been one of the most dangerous teams to go up against, and should they get hot from the field, become very, very challenging to cool off.

Naturally, a significant reason why the Hawks are so resilient offensively is because they have the fourth leading scorer in the NBA in point guard Trae Young, who just so happened to drop 28.4 points per game this season (a stat he shared only with fellow Dallas Maverick point guard Luka Doncic). But even outside of Young, the Hawks carry one stacked supporting cast of professional scorers, including the likes of shooting guard Kevin Huerter.

Kevin Huerter was selected with the 19th overall pick in 2018 / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Drafted by the Hawks in 2018, Huerter has formed an underrated level of scoring consistency since setting foot in the league and has evolved his game both inside and out. However, considering his production over his first four years, one could certainly argue that Huerter’s development has stagnated, averaging roughly just 12 points per game in each of his last three seasons.

Considering the minutes he receives along with the starting role he has, it’s fair to feel skeptical and nervous about the lack of growth Huerter has displayed. But there are a few key reasons why Hawks fans shouldn’t panic about their young starlet in the making.

The first comes down to the offensive structure Huerter’s apart of, specifically the field goal attempt distribution amongst the range of scorers the Hawks have. With Young fittingly taking on 20.3 field goal attempts per game on the regular season, the rest of the scoring responsibilities were split pretty evenly amongst the rest, with Bogdan Bogdanovic taking 12.6 attempts per game, John Collins with 11.9, DeAndre Hunter with 10.8, and then Huerter with 10.3. That’s not to mention that Danilo Gallinari also took 9.0 shot attempts per game while Clint Capela had himself 8.2 as well.

Kevin Huerter has made steady strides since arriving in Atlanta / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

This is obviously not a bad thing from a team perspective because having such a deep offense can be very difficult to contend with as the Hawks have demonstrated all too often. That said, from Huerter’s perspective, the well-balanced distribution between the scoring duties has been a significant reason why his output hasn’t risen the way some might have expected it to. After his rookie campaign where he only took an average of 8.8 shots per game, Huerter attempted 10.9 in year two, 10.6 in year three, and 10.3 in year four. And despite an improving field goal percentage that reached a career-high this season (45.4%), Huerter’s ability to grow on the scoring front has been stunted because of how many different Hawks players can shoot the ball on any given night.

In fact, if you look at Huerter’s 2018 NBA draft class as a means to assess his growth in comparison to his guard peers, you can get a good feel for this reality, and if anything, see a handful of parallels from other players who have similar roles. Because Huerter was drafted 19th overall, we’re going to refrain from comparing him to Top 15 prospects who have much different talent levels and roles than Huerter has.

Gary Trent Jr. watches Jalen Brunson score at the hoop / Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

But a good place to start is in the second round, particularly when looking at Gary Trent Jr. and Jalen Brunson. Both of these young guards have really grown into their own, and particularly this season. Trent Jr. averaged 18.3 points per game for the Toronto Raptors while Brunson put forth 16.3 on the year for the Dallas Mavericks. Not only do both receive more minutes than Huerter, but more specifically, they each take more shot attempts per game as well, with Trent Jr. averaging 15.5 and Brunson attempting 12.8.

On the other hand, if you look at both Lonnie Walker IV’s and Donte DiVincenzo’s outputs this season (each of whom was drafted right before Huerter), both produced similar scoring outcomes to that of Huerter and had similar shot attempt averages as well. Walker averaged 12.1 points with 10.9 attempts while DiVincenzo only tallied 9.0 points with an average of 8.0 shot attempts per game.

Donte DiVincenzo finished the season with the Sacramento Kings / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

This goes to show you just how much Huerter’s scoring success is dependent on the volume of shot attempts and the kind of role he’s given, something that holds true for a lot of players in this league. So unless those change, Huerter’s scoring output might continue to stall out until his attempts increase.

Secondly, Huerter has improved (though slowly and incrementally) in a lot of the right areas considering the role he has on the Hawks. Although he’s not going to come up with double-digit assists or rebounds or gather a lot of steals or blocks, that’s not what the Hawks need from him because they have players that handle those responsibilities as is.

What Huerter does provide is a variety of inside scoring moves as well as a catch and shoot efficiency level from behind the arc that is invaluable to have (shot a career-high 38.9% from 3-PT range this season). Though he might not display all of his perks and tricks on a nightly basis, Huerter is the offensive Swiss Army knife for the Hawks and can contribute whichever way they need him to.

Kevin Huerter's defense was clutch in the 2021 NBA Playoffs / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Lastly, Huerter has really progressed nicely on the defensive front. It’s by no means nothing flashy or worthy of an All-NBA Defensive First or Second Team appearance. But from staying squared up with a solid balance level, to not leaving a lot of breathing room for his opponents to operate with, to his length and wide reach to get a hand in your face and close distances well, Huerter has shown plenty of growth on the defensive front and has flashed the potential to form into a strong, two-way guard.

In short, Huerter has certainly undergone a slow and steady developmental process over these last four seasons. But what matters most here is that he’s taking all the necessary strides to succeed within a role and system that has its limitations. And considering he’s just 23-years-old, Huerter is faring just fine and continues to grow in the right areas the Hawks need from him.

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