Atlanta Hawks 2011-2012 Player Preview: Pape Sy's Coming out Party

Pape Sy spent a majority of his time with the Atlanta Hawks on the bench last season. He's hoping to change that this year.

The Senegalese Sy, drafted 53rd overall in the 2010 NBA Draft, came over from France to suit up in Atlanta and chase his NBA dream. After earning a roster spot and being relegated to the bench, he was demoted to the NBA D-League, where he averaged eight points per game in 22 minutes of action a night. While those are hardly the numbers you hope a future role player in the NBA would put up against what should be inferior competition, it was all Sy could muster.

He was called back to the Hawks in March, where he again found a seat on the bench, a hapless second-round pick destined to be another seat warmer as the first rounders handled their business on the court. However, after a few late-game showings at the end of the 2010-2011 season, Sy entered the lockout with an uncertainty of where he would be. The Hawks had brought him back for the rest of the season, but once it ended, he was now out of a job. Sy, however, found work elsewhere.

Thanks to a few cupcake minutes in the final games of the regular season, Sy gave Atlanta a taste of what he could contribute. With it being so late in the season, he obviously showed some fresh legs, but he was notably quicker than nearly every player on the court, including Hawks speedster Jeff Teague. His handle was on-and-off, sometimes looking sharp and clean, other times wild and out of control. He's a dangerous penetrator but needs to learn that holding onto the ball is the number one priority.

While his quickness is certainly something to marvel at, his athleticism is close to the same. He's a springy, high-motor player who has great lateral quickness defensively and who can rise up with the best of them. 

You can have all the natural tools in the NBA, however, and not succeed. Sy has quite a few tools, but is trying to carve out a niche for himself in this league as he tones up his basketball IQ and overall feel for the game.

When the lockout hit its height this summer, Sy traveled to Europe to play for the BCM Gravelines, a team in France. While there, Sy posted respectable numbers of 14.3 point per game and 4.3 rebounds per game. He only played in three games, but one showing in particular caught the attention of quite a few Hawks bloggers around the country.

In his second Euro-League game, he exploded for 25 points in under 20 minutes of play, canning five three-pointers in the process and getting to the rim with ease. The most impressive part of his whole scoring onslaught was that he needed only 11 shots to do it. That is shooting with efficiency.

Sy returned to Atlanta after the lockout ended and has been with the team ever since. His showing at training camp has impressed coach Larry Drew, and Sy is likely to be the backup point guard while Kirk Hinrich recovers from his shoulder injury. Here is what Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported on his daily Hawks blog:

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Is there a chance Pape can help the Hawks this year? “There’s a chance,” Drew said. “He really looks good thus far. It looks like playing in the D-League and playing over in Europe helped him because he’s playing at a different level from a confidence standpoint. When he came in for the first camp he might have been a little overwhelmed. But now he looks more comfortable and doesn’t have that deer in the headlight look in his eye.”

Physically, Sy has the potential to be a good defender. “He’s got the quickness, the size, the length to be a pretty good defensive player, particularly at the top of the floor,” Drew said. “Playing against Jeff every day really helps him out a lot. He has to adjust how to defend guys with the kind of speed. You are not going to go against a guy with that speed every day so if you can keep [Teague] in front of you, then you have a pretty good chance with everyone else.”

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With Sy's confidence up and defensive game on a new level, Hawks fans may be in for a treat. No one expected Sy to amount to anything. As a 53rd pick, falling out of the league quickly and ending up in Europe for the remainder of his career wouldn't have shocked anyone, but Sy isn't satisfied with that. He wants to play on the highest level there is. He's working his way up there day by day as he impresses the Atlanta coaching staff and strives for the support of fans.

He has the potential to be a sixth man or a valuable bench contributor. In fact, he may be the latter this season. If he's able to strap up the speedy Jeff Teague, than he'll be able to keep up with the fastest of players in the league. If he develops more of an offensive game, there is no reason why he couldn't be a 10 points per game scorer in this league.

It's asking way too much for that this year, but some solid defense, a highlight play every now and again and a better grasp of the offense should sure up Sy's spot in the rotation, regardless of when Hinrich comes back.