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2019-20 Player Review: Treveon Graham

The Hawks gave up very little to acquire Graham from Minnesota. Now they must decide what it's worth to keep him around.
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Save for those who merit immediate and central inclusion in a rotation, it can be difficult for players to integrate into new teams on the fly. Treveon Graham knows this fact well, having played for four different franchises in as many years in the NBA. A role player like Graham doesn’t have the luxury of an offense that will bend to his liking or a skill set so indispensable his coach has no option but to find time for him on the floor, which made it difficult for him to crack Lloyd Pierce’s main rotation in the first place -- let alone hold down a consistent role.

Graham played sparingly early in his 22-game Hawks career, only filling mop-up duties or spelling more esteemed teammates for brief stints. The first signs of consistent minutes came in two February losses to the Celtics, when Graham provided energy and defensive versatility off the bench for the shorthanded Hawks. His minutes ramped back up later in the month, and he had only recently become a regular in the rotation when a global pandemic decided to disrupt Graham’s rhythm.

The 26-year-old finished the year averaging a modest 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in just over 12 minutes per game with Atlanta, shooting 35 percent from beyond the arc on 37 total attempts. That isn’t a large enough sample size to draw any conclusions about Graham or his future as a Hawk. He’ll be a free agent this offseason and likely won’t command much money on his next contract. That could allow Atlanta to retain him as a lottery ticket at a team-friendly price, but it’s possible the team doesn’t prioritize him enough to dip into their cap space and retain him. The Hawks will have better -- if more expensive -- options available, and Graham could find another situation more suitable for the next step of his career.

His viability as a rotation fixture will depend heavily on his jumper. Most of his 37 3-point attempts were uncontested due to his reputation, and over the last two seasons -- his only years with more than 100 3-point attempts, Graham shot just 28.6 percent from beyond the arc Without much in the way of ball skills or playmaking acumen, Graham can’t do much outside of spotting up for jumpers, but given how infrequently those shots went in, defenders would simply sag away from him to muck up his team’s action on the strong side. Atlanta encouraged Graham to take the wide-open looks opponents gifted him, but at a certain point, a those shots have to go in. 

That has made it difficult for Graham to eclipse net-neutral value the last two years in spite of his tenacious and versatile defense -- particularly on a Hawks team starved for shooting. That said, if Graham can level out as a respectable, if unremarkable, shooter, he could be a valuable asset on most any team in the league. Though just 6-foot-5, Graham has the strength and toughness to capably defend wings and forwards, with the footspeed to contain all but the NBA’s quickest guards. He makes smart rotations and executes his team’s defensive coverage without much of a hitch. Lloyd Pierce became a fan of Graham's energy and versatility off the bench as he became a more prominent part of the rotation. If De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish aren’t ready to be primary defenders on the league’s best wings next season, Graham could be a suitable alternative.

That kind of player has great utility and allows for coaches to configure different kinds of lineups. Graham could just as easily play alongside Hunter and Reddish as he could with Trae Young and John Collins, provided he isn’t so much of an offensive liability that he undercuts Atlanta’s offense. The Hawks acquired Graham as a throw-in from Minnesota in the Jeff Teague trade, and gave up virtually nothing to get him. Whatever he provided over the remainder of the season would be a welcome bonus. Now Atlanta must decide what it's worth to keep him around.