Kent Bazemore took a decent amount of criticism for his 2016-2017 season. It was the first in his four-year deal worth $70 million in total, and his performance wasn’t what most Hawks fans expected. It is difficult to completely determine how much of his presumed drop in production was due to the Atlanta Hawks getting weaker as a team. Assuming that the weakening of the Hawks was at least part of the problem, this year will be vital in Bazemore’s arc as a player.
What is most promising about Bazemore’s tough 2016-2017 season is that he did improve somewhat in the second half of the season, sans April where he returned to shooting beneath 40 percent from the field.