Even before the TC bumps we'd never really seen anything like Daniel Randle. Most players than can shoot like him can handle the ball and can't block shots. This is one reason why nobody but Wig really took note of this oddball in the draft. The other reason may have been his lack of defense (foreshadowing).
- Randle rookie.PNG (22.16 KiB) Viewed 725 times
Wow, this guy has come a long way. Look at how unathletic he was. Just wow. With all that being said his closest comparables were not all that close, old Steve Smith or young Jim Jackson. While the comparisons weren't that close and they weren't with those players in their primes, maybe it says something that his closest comparables were a Hall of Famer and a P/P Hall of Fame candidate. Of course, we all know what happened.
- Randle progress.PNG (12.81 KiB) Viewed 725 times
#tcblessed. He got a bump in inside scoring. He got a bump in perimeter defense (he now has a C in post defense too). He also got a bump in steals. It is a little easier to understand why Dan Ran has two All-defensive second team selections under his belt even though he has a 53 in perimeter defense and a 43 in post defense. He put up 1.9 blocks and steals a game this past season. Maybe his most impressive growth has been athletically where he has improved on his pre-draft quickness by 11, strength by 26, jumping by 14, and stamina by 18. Let's see what all of this has translated to.
- Randle stats.PNG (27.55 KiB) Viewed 725 times
These are honestly some gaudy numbers for the 2015 rookie of the year and one time all-league selection. Through 7 seasons he is averaging 20 points, 5 rebounds, almost 4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game. The guy fills the stat sheet. He's also pretty darn efficient for a guy that shoots twice as many threes ad jump shots as he does inside shots. He's flirted with 50% from the field a few times in recent years and has hit 40% from three twice.
Does Daniel Randle have one more TC boost left in him? Probably not. Will he be a Hall of Famer? Probably not. Has he been a key player for the Hawks every season of his career? Yep. Are the Hawks the luckiest team in the world for landing this guy with the 19th pick in the draft? Yep.
