Hawks surrender on 2024 draft decide to signal former 5-star sharpshooter to NBA deal

The Atlanta Hawks formally ended the Nikola Djurisic experiment on Wednesday, waiving the sophomore after a disappointing G League stint to clear room for Caleb Houstan on the full-time NBA squad.

Djurisic, 21, was drafted forty third total in 2024 by the Miami Heat as a possible challenge, however was traded to Atlanta within the deal that despatched AJ Griffin to the Rockets. Djurisic was retained by the Hawks for 2 seasons however was by no means known as upon for minutes within the NBA (which means he’s nonetheless technically a rookie who has but to make his debut).

Houstan, 23, has certainly performed this season, however he is logged simply 49 minutes throughout 10 video games. He is an old-school capturing specialist, capturing upwards of 40% from deep over the previous two seasons. Houstan additionally claims an odd title, one which rival followers may name a “fun fact” however Hawks followers might not discover so enjoyable.

Houstan is the tallest participant within the NBA who has by no means dunked. If you watch him play, you may shortly understand why. Houstan merely would not shoot two pointers – he is taken simply 3 all season, and solely took 13 the 12 months prior in an elevated function. He is not precisely an athletic menace both, which exhibits in his poor affect on the glass and on protection.

This transfer is low-impact however fairly complicated

All issues thought of, this transfer has a marginal affect on the franchise. Neither participant is within the rotation; each have performed the overwhelming majority (or, in Djurisic’s case, all) of their minutes this season within the G League; neither is a large a part of Onsi Saleh’s long-term imaginative and prescient for the franchise.

Still, shrewd strikes on the margins will be the distinction between a mediocre franchise and an elite one. The Miami Heat, for instance, constantly flip G League prospects into contributing gamers. Atlanta might advance the franchise by nailing strikes like this participant swap, even when the affect seems small at first.

I’ve a tough time wrapping my head round this transfer. Houstan, a former two-way participant, had loads of NBA eligibility remaining to complete off the season. He can also be a flawed participant who realistically would not warrant NBA minutes on a crowded Hawks bench.

I’m not precisely a believer in Djurisic, who has began in simply 5 G League video games via two seasons, however he’s an asset Atlanta did not need to discard fairly but.

Perhaps this was a present of excellent religion from the franchise. Djurisic clearly is not able to make an NBA affect anytime quickly, and Houstan has balled out within the G League (15.5 factors on 40.3% from deep). By making this swap, Houstan stands to obtain a major pay elevate, and Djurisic can attempt to discover his footing in a brand new system.

Or maybe the entrance workplace has religion in Houstan. If Nicolas Batum was an impactful participant in his prime regardless of related athletic limitations, why cannot the sharpshooting Houstan be one too? He was a former five-star prospect in highschool attributable to his pure talent; certainly there’s a approach to combine him into an NBA staff?

Whatever the reasoning, this transfer has a marginal affect on the season. Houstan sits in final place amongst a crowded ahead lineup, sitting as a fourth-stringer (Risacher, Johnson; Kuminga, Newell; Hield, Gueye). Time will inform if this transfer elevates him right into a rotation spot or if that is destined to easily be a footnote in a busy season.