With a career-high 33 points, former Wahoo Hunter showing new fire for Atlanta Hawks

By Jerry Ratcliffe

There’s a reason the Atlanta Hawks moved heaven and earth to get their hands on De’Andre Hunter.

The Hawks are starting to find out what the former Virginia star can really do as he begins his second year in the league. While Covid issues impacted most everyone’s growth last year, Hunter is starting to deliver.

Right now, he’s Atlanta’s second-leading scorer behind Trae Young and playing the second-most minutes. (also behind Young). Hunter is averaging 17.4 points and 32.4 minutes per game, while shooting 52 percent on his field goal attempts and 39 percent from beyond the arc, 86.7 percent from the free throw line.

A couple nights ago, Hunter put up a career-high 33 points in a loss to the Bucks, but he was spectacular while going 13 for 21 from the field, 2 of 5 from the arc, and 5 of 6 at the free throw line.

Of course, having come from Tony Bennett’s program at UVA, Hunter is a solid defender.

He’s becoming a little more vocal, but that doesn’t take very much. Virginia fans have always known Hunter as a quiet guy. If it can be said in five words, Hunter will do it in three.

Except for the other night when his verbal explosion garnered him a technical foul.

“That was something we were laughing about on the bench … ‘Oh, Dre finally spoke enough to get a T,’” Hawks teammate Kevin Huerter told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce was probably glad to see some emotion from his lottery pick from a year ago.

“You’re starting to see some fire,” Pierce told the AJC. “You’re starting to see some passion. You’re starting to see some intensity from a guy who’s pretty reserved, and I like his level of engagement. That was just an example of it (the technical). He’s attacking the rim, he didn’t think he was getting calls, they called a foul on him, he was just trying to make his point about his ability to attack, and he wants to be rewarded.”

Hunter, a 6-foot-8, 225-pound power forward, who helped Virginia win its first national championship in 2019, has worked hard to make an impact for his team and in the league.

During the off season, he not only put in physical work, but also spent a ton of time studying film of his own game and other power forwards about his size from about the league.

“When you watch film, you can criticize yourself, you can critique yourself, and that’s what I did,” Hunter said. “I just tried to implement those things that I learned from watching film on myself and actually doing it in a game. It’s been working so far.”

A three-level scorer at UVA, Hunter is showing those same abilities in the NBA.

With the career-high 33 points in the rear view, it’s just a matter of time before the former Wahoo smashes that mark.