Kevin Huerter is Becoming an Elite NBA Defender

The Atlanta Hawks could be the story of the NBA if it was not for the turnaround by the New York Knicks. Fresh off a season where they won only 20 games and did not earn a trip to the bubble, the Hawks are 38-31 and looking to clinch a top 6 seed in the East. Kevin Huerter has been a staple in the rotation for this Hawks squad but it has seemed to me that his role has changed to a defensive specialist. We asked Mike Conti from the Atlanta Hawks Radio Network that question. You can listen above and read the highlights below:

• Kevin has worked very hard at developing defensive attributes to his tool chest. Kevin Huerter is top 20 in the league in total steals this season right up there with names like Ben Simmons and Russell Westbrook. He has earned the trust of Head Coach Nate McMillan to have the tough defensive assignments game to game especially in big moments like last night against Westbrook and the Wizards.
• Some of the things Kevin does so well do not show up in the box score like pass deflections. The intangibles he does makes him an incredibly valuable player in the NBA.
• A playoff matchup with the aforementioned Knicks could end up happening and if so, the Hawks dropped all 3 to New York. That being said it could be a heck of a series.
• Kevin his really proud of where he came from and his sisters as Mike Conti says that he speaks with great fondness about upstate New York.