The Atlanta Hawks drafted DeAndre Bembry with the 21st overall pick in last month’s NBA Draft, and the St. Joseph’s product provided a nice example of why in a Summer League game against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday in Las Vegas.
Watch the 6’6″ Bembry drop the hammer on Sacramento seven-footer Willie Cauley-Stein with this posterizing dunk:
OMG POSTER!!! https://t.co/WRFIXfHVEk
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) July 13, 2016
Nasty.
The Hawks drafted Bembry and traded for Taurean Prince (selected 12th overall on the Utah Jazz) on draft night, with the moves serving a bit as safety blankets should Kent Bazemore leave in free agency. But, Bazemore returned to the Hawks on a four-year, $70 million deal, and now the Hawks have some terrific depth with Bembry and Prince also in the fold.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Chris Vivlamore wrote on Tuesday how Bembry has been Atlanta’s top player so far in the Summer League:
After three standout seasons at St. Joseph, Bembry declared early for the NBA draft. The Hawks selected him in the first round with the No. 21 pick last month, and the 6-foot-6 forward has started to show that he belongs in the league.
“I played against a lot of pros before,” Bembry said. “I’m not uncomfortable.”
Bembry has been the Hawks’ best player so far in the Las Vegas Summer League. He started the team’s three games and totaled 30 points on 10-of-23 shooting, including 3-of-7 from 3-point range. He also has 14 rebounds, 14 assists, four steals and one block.
Bembry certainly didn’t slow down with his play on Wednesday, putting up 13 points (on 5-of-8 shooting) and five rebounds — and of course that spectacular dunk — in the Hawks’ 81-61 victory.
