Atlanta Hawks select Kevin Huerter with No. 19 pick in NBA Draft

Huerter becomes the 19th first-round draft choice all-time from the University of Maryland and the second under eighth-year head coach Mark Turgeon, joining the No. 5 overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft, Alex Len.

“Atlanta is a great fit for Kevin,” Turgeon said in a statement. “I’m so happy I had the opportunity to spend the night in Albany with Kevin, his family and some of our team. The Hawks are getting a great player, person and an even better teammate. I’m so excited for this next step in Kevin’s life and can’t wait to follow his career.”

An Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection last season, Huerter averaged 14.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game as a sophomore. He was one of the league's top three-point shooters last season, finishing eighth in three-point field goals made per game (2.3) and ninth in three-point field goal percentage (.417). His 73 three-pointers made on the year ranks tied for fifth all-time on Maryland’s single season list.

Huerter further solidified himself as an elite three-point sniper during shooting drills at the NBA Draft Combine while also surprising some with his athleticism.

The Clifton Park, New York native was so impressive during the first day of the combine that he chose to sit out the second day of scrimmaging, stating that he had reaggravated an injury to his right shooting hand which he initially sustained during the college season in a win at Northwestern.

Huerter had surgery to repair torn ligaments in his injured right hand earlier this month and is expected to miss two months, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. While that likely means he would miss summer league play, he should be back to full strength in plenty of time for the start of training camp in September.

Huerter and the No. 5 overall pick in this year's draft, Trae Young, are both headed to Atlanta and should give the Hawks a sharp shooting backcourt of the future.