Hawks sign Luke Babbitt

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The Hawks signed veteran Luke Babbitt to a one year deal on Friday.

At the surface, this may look like a minor move, but Babbitt could be a big part of Coach Mike Budenholzer’s game plan going forward. The Hawks Achilles heel during the 2016-17 campaign was their lack of outside shooting. Kyle Korver lost a step and was eventually traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Korver was an incredible shooter, but not a great scorer. When he was at his best with the Hawks, opposing teams had to respect his outside shooting ability and gameplan for it. This made the other four players on the court’s life that much easier. This is a huge reason why Korver has always been loved by the +/- statistic.

Luke Babbitt is merely a role player, but he could have a similar effect. Last season, he led the Heat in plus minus in a handful of their contests and started 55 of the 68 games he played. He is a career 40.6% 3-point shooter who even shot 51.3% from beyond the arc a few seasons ago.

So why is Babbitt only being signed to a one-year deal worth $1.9 million? To be honest, the guy is essentially a one trick pony. However, this deal is most definitely a bargain for the Atlanta Hawks and does not affect their future plans. The team could certainly use his skill set.

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