Once he overcame some injuries, his shooting and passing became a real asset for the team.
Over the past few seasons, the Atlanta Hawks’ developmental staff has received a lot of praise for what they’ve been able to do for players throughout the course of 82 games. One of the players who benefited this year was Vít Krejčí, who some would say is the ultimate role player.
After just playing in 22 games last season, Krejčí stepped on the court for the Hawks in 57 games this season and averaged 7.2 points per game. He played a key part off the bench, and as the injuries piled up, he filled in as a starter at times.
Krejčí started the season with a right adductor strain that caused him to miss a few weeks. Once he returned, he didn’t see the floor immediately, as Kobe Bufkin was the backup guard for some time. With Bufkin showing some signs of growth in his role, it was hard to see if Krejčí would get minutes unless another injury popped up.
Well, with Bufkin going down with a shoulder injury, Krejčí found himself back in the lineup, and he showed that he could man the backup guard duties with the Hawks not having a true option at the position. Krejčí has always been a pass-first guard, but as the season progressed, he became more aggressive, shooting the 3-ball and getting to the rim.
It was obvious that Krejčí was finding a rhythm in his role, and his play made it feel as if the Hawks didn’t need a true point guard to relieve the pressure off Trae Young when he goes to the bench. The best thing about Krejčí and his skillset was that he could play on the floor with Young and be a secondary ball-handler, which is why Quin Snyder was comfortable inserting him into the starting lineup at times.
With the Hawks playing well and just getting a few new players from the trade deadline, Krejčí once again suffered an injury, this time to his back, and had to miss a few weeks. Once he came back, he had to find a rhythm again while also learning to play with the new guys. It didn’t take long for him to get back on track, and the final stretch of the season was probably his best of the year.
In the last ten games of the season, Krejčí shot 64.7 percent from the 3-point line, and it was obvious that he had real growth throughout the year. At the end of the season, he spoke about how the staff helped him and other players develop during the season.
“I think just from where we started and the development we had, a lot of guys got a lot better throughout the year,” Krejčí said. “You can see it on the paper, and you can see it on the court.“
It was a good season for Krejčí, and it’ll be interesting to see what his role with look like next season for the team.