Atlanta Hawks Should Draft Sam Dekker If Available
By John Buhler
The Atlanta Hawks though very talented still need help on the wing, especially on defense. When Thabo Sefolosha was healthy, Atlanta could defend on the perimeter with some of the best teams in the Association. But when he ended up missing significant time to two separate leg injuries, Atlanta’s wing defense weakened considerably.
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DeMarre Carroll and Kent Bazemore had to play more minutes than they should have and ultimately were not able to effectively guard the three-point line. Bad 3-point defense cost the Hawks in the Eastern Conference Finals. It became obvious that perimeter defense was arguably the most indicative part of the Atlanta Hawks’ season. When it was good, the Hawks had the makings of an NBA Champion. But when it wasn’t, deep rotational wings on other teams had field days against the Hawks shooting threes.
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The way that HC Mike Budenholzer built this team, the was little margin of error for the Hawks to go from good to great. Every player mattered on the roster as they somehow found ways to make up for each other’s inefficiencies.
If Bud and GM Wes Wilcox choose to build 2015-16’s team in a similar way to that of last year’s ECF team, meaning that they’ll sacrifice rebounding for better position in transition defense, Atlanta needs to go wing with the 15th overall selection in the NBA Draft Thursday Night. And if he’s available, the Hawks front office needs to go after one guy in particular: Wisconsin’s SF Sam Dekker.
Dekker starred for the 2015 National Runner-Up Wisconsin Badgers as a junior. Though he wasn’t the best player on his team, that would be National Player of the Year PF Frank Kaminsky, Dekker shined for HC Bo Ryan during his three seasons in Madison. Sam averaged 13.9 PPG for the Badgers last season as he shot .525 from the field, .639 for two, and .331 from three.
Not only is the guy a well-rounded shooter, he also plays great defense when he is on the floor. His offensive and defensive ratings were solid for Wisconsin as a junior. For every 100 possessions Dekker was on the court, his team scored 128.6 points and allowed just 99.8 points defensively. I believe that Sam can become a great 3-and-D in the NBA at the very least.
His Player Efficiency Rating all three years at Wisconsin were outstanding, well above the 15.0 average threshold (22.8, 21.4, and 25.5 freshman through junior year). To me, PER indicates how cerebral a player is and that he really values each possession he is on the court. I feel that it’s a great indicator for Dekker as it leans towards him being very coachable.
I look at Sam Dekker as a Kyle Korver type of player to some degree. Kind of like the player Korver was in Salt Lake before he learned how to play defense for Tom Thibodeau in Chicago. I really believe that Dekker fits in very nicely to what Coach Bud is trying to build here in Atlanta. Dekker is a team player that plays well on both ends of the floor. He would have perfect mentors in Kyle Korver and DeMarre Carroll should the Junkyard Dog re-sign.
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Though most mock drafts have the Atlanta Hawks selecting Bobby Portis 15th overall, I think improving our depth on the wing is the most crucial aspect in getting the Hawks to an NBA Championship. We saw the team unravel when Thabo got hurt and I don’t think Bud wants to see our perimeter defense as the team’s Achilles’ Heel three years in a row. If you thought it was bad against the Cavs in the ECF, just think back to that stretch in 2013-14 when the Hawks lost 14 of 15.
Until it’s different, perimeter defense is still the weakest part of how the Hawks play. Yes, rebounding isn’t spectacular either, but Bud’s team concedes on the boards to some degree to make up for it on transition defense. Adding Sam Dekker 15th overall gives the Hawks another great building block on the wing. If he’s available I would be shocked if the Atlanta Hawks front office doesn’t draft SF Sam Dekker out of Wisconsin 15th overall.
Next: Should The Atlanta Hawks Draft Bobby Portis?
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