Top 10 NBA Rookie of the Year Candidates Entering 2016-17

Prince was the haul Atlanta brought in during the three-team transaction that sent former All-Star point guard Jeff Teague to Indiana. The Baylor product’s draft stock fluctuated continuously throughout the offseason.  Now he is the likely backup small forward for a competitive team in an improving Eastern Conference.

Prince brings his undeniable hustle on a nightly basis. He’s a versatile, athletic 6-7 forward, who uses all of his physical tools on both ends of the floor. He runs the court hard in transition.  He is the type of gritty defender that should mesh well with the Hawks’ culture under Mike Budenholzer.

Atlanta is an offense that thrives off of spacing, and they will be able to rely even more so on some of the open shots created on the perimeter with the addition of Dwight Howard underneath, someone who will command significant defensive attention on the low block and coming off of pick-and-rolls. Prince is a strong spot-up shooter from deep, and has the explosiveness needed to run the court and make hard cuts to the rim for a team that could find themselves pushing the pace even more with Dennis Schroder starting on a nightly basis.

Prince’s defense will help earn playing time.  He has all the chops of an  upper echelon defender who can take on league’s better athletic presences.

The Hawks have built a team-oriented culture in recent seasons.  Prince will mold quite well into that rotation by the time the regular season is in full swing. His hustle is going to gain both himself and his teammates extra opportunities, while his two-way productions fits ideally into the backup role behind Kent Bazemore that was looking relatively thin towards the end of last season.

While still a long shot in the discussion, Prince deserves his place in this conversation.