Kent Bazemore Comments on Potentially Returning to Hawks, Improving His Game

Atlanta Hawks forward Kent Bazemore saw his first season in which he was a full-time starter in the NBA come to an end when the Cleveland Cavaliers swept his team in the second round of the playoffs.   

It was an unceremonious end to the 26-year-old's best season in the league in which he averaged 11.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He stepped in well for DeMarre Carroll, who signed a four-year, $60 million deal with the Toronto Raptors before the season began.

But it could also be the end of Bazemore's tenure in Atlanta, as he is set to hit unrestricted free agency and is expected to garner plenty of interest and bigger figures than the two-year, $4 million deal that he just finished up, via Spotrac.  

But if he had it his way, he wouldn't want to go anywhere else, as he said during his exit interview Monday, via Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

"

I would love to return here. I think the past two years I’ve taken a tremendous leap. Not only my professional year but personally. I’m growing more into myself and figuring out life. This place as a special place in my heart. I grew up right up the street in North Carolina. Super close to home. Not close enough. Has its perks here. The weather is great. Golf is great. God is great.

"

Vivlamore likened Bazemore to Carroll in that the latter turned a $5 million contract with the Hawks in 2013 into a big deal with the Raptors. It's something that could well happen with Bazemore this summer.

For a player who had never averaged more than six points per game in the NBA before 2015-16, Bazemore said that there is still room for improvement this summer, as he'll be healthy in the offseason compared to last year when he was hampered with injuries:  

"

I can add to it, get my explosiveness back. I couldn’t really play above the rim like I wanted to this year and am super capable of. Body being weak, your shot comes in and out. You can’t really get the lift you need on a night-in, night-out basis. Those are things I can really count on this summer, getting stronger, getting ready to get the 82-game grind again.

"

While his offensive improvement has been a welcome sight for the Hawks, it was his defensive play that made him so invaluable in 2015-16. Bazemore was third on the team and 18th in the league in defensive win shares at 3.8, as his athletic ability paired with a physical style of play makes him a lockdown defender on the wing. 

That should make him a desired target in free agency for a number of teams that could use some athleticism at either the shooting guard or small forward position. If that's the case, then the Hawks could find themselves in a bidding war for Bazemore in an offseason where Al Horford, Kirk Hinrich and Kris Humphries are also free agents.

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.