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The 2020-21 NBA season is nearly here and, after the longest break in recorded history, the Atlanta Hawks will return to action in the coming days. Before the regular season tips off on Dec. 23, the Peachtree Hoops is coming together for a ten-part roundtable series, setting the stage for what’s to come. In part four, our writers discuss expectations for Atlanta’s trio of returning young wings.
Brad Rowland: This is a tough one. Only one of these players projects to start this season, with Young, Bogdanovic, Collins and Capela widely seen as locks to begin the season on the floor. As such, it is safe to project a decline in total deployment from these three players (as a collective) when compared to last season, but where does that dip come from? Reddish is the best defender of the bunch right now, and that gives him a potential leg up, especially if he continues to find his legs as a secondary creator as he did late last season. Huerter will always have a role as a shooter on a team that needs spacing around Trae Young. Hunter might have a tough time finding minutes at the 4 with Gallinari on board, but the Hawks still like him at the 3 and, in theory, he gives them versatility. Overall, I’d encourage fans not to panic too much if one (or two) of these guys don’t play as much as they did before because, well, that is probably going to happen.