A new spark from the Hawks bench

The Atlanta Hawks have won seven of their last eight games. The defense is playing at a level we haven’t seen in quite some time, and the offense is doing enough to win. You can point out Young’s defensive improvement or masterful playmaking, Jalen Johnson’s rise into a serious All-Star contender, or Dyson Daniels’ legitimate case for Defensive Player of the Year. But what can’t be ignored is De’Andre Hunter’s impact off the bench.

The Numbers

This could very well be the best stretch of basketball of De’Andre Hunter’s career. While continuing his defensive impact, he has been a critical scoring lift off the bench. Over the last eight games, he’s averaging 22.4 points per game at extreme efficiency (51.8 percent from two and 51.9 percent from three). He’s also chipped in 3.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 0.6 steals. Hawks fans know he’s never been a stat-sheet stuffer, but when he’s scoring like this, he doesn’t need to be.

In this span, the Hawks’ bench has combined for 412 points, averaging 51.5 points per game. For reference, the league leader in bench points per game is the Memphis Grizzlies at 48.6. The Hawks currently rank third with 41.6 points per game, thanks to Hunter’s dominant stretch. Having Bogdanovic back healthy and Okongwu in the mix, the Hawks have one of the best bench units in the NBA thus far. Though, the backup point guard role still needs to be polished

The Hawks have faced some teams near the bottom in bench scoring (Knicks, Lakers, Nuggets, Celtics, Pelicans), but their bench dominance has been a major factor in their sustained winning. Hunter alone, in this eight-game stretch, has averaged more points per game (22.4) than the Knicks’ bench has all season (20.8). Right now, he leads the league in points per game among bench players. Needless to say, he’s playing the most confident basketball of his career.

In the game that started this win streak, Hunter came off the bench and put up seven points and an assist in the first quarter. He’s knocking down open shots, but he’s also creating for himself with impressive ease.

Additionally, it appears Hunter is playing with more passion or motivation than we have ever seen. Against the Lakers, he was fouled three times on the same possession, which led to him jawing with LeBron James.

Afterward, he scored a bucket and let the Lakers bench know about it. Then, with 27 seconds left in a game that ended in overtime, he drained a huge three-pointer to put the Hawks up. He’s not just scoring; he’s stepping up in key moments. While his steals aren’t piling up, his defense remains solid, as always. And with the addition of Dyson Daniels, Hunter now has the luxury of taking on less challenging assignments, allowing him to focus on being physical without overextending himself.

It seems Hunter has found a permanent role coming off the bench. He’s undoubtedly a better option than Risacher at this moment, but there’s no reason to change anything when you’re getting this kind of production. His teammates have taken notice as well. After a 30-point, 20-assist game for himself against the Lakers, Trae Young kicked off his press conference with, “First off, how about De’Andre Hunter?”

While huge factors remain in if he can keep up this production and stay healthy, De’Andre Hunter is playing with confidence and physicality we haven’t seen before — and that’s exactly what the Hawks need as they continue to build synergy and stack the win column.