Former Terp Kevin Huerter comes up big in Hawks Game 7 win

Washington

Former Terp Kevin Huerter comes up big in Hawks Game 7 win

On a night when Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young struggled for part of the contest, someone else on the roster was going to need to step up in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Former Maryland basketball player Kevin Huerter answered the call.

Huerter dropped a team-high 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting to mark a new playoff career-high for the third year-pro. He also added seven rebounds helping his team pick up a series-clinching 103-96 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. 

The internet took notice of his big game, too.

The shooting guard was a member of the Maryland Terrapins during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. After scoring 9.3 points per game as a freshman, Huerter put together a strong sophomore campaign with 14.8 points and five rebounds per contest.

That showing was good enough for Huerter to be drafted 19th overall by Atlanta in the 2018 NBA Draft. He averaged 9.7 points as a rookie, 12.2 last season and 11.9 during the 2020-21 regular season.

Yet on Sunday night, Huerter put out what was potentially the best performance of his young NBA career, helping the Hawks advance to the Eastern Conference Finals and take on the Milwaukee Bucks.

An important part of Atlanta’s scoring, Huerter will now have more opportunities to show out on the national stage and send Terp nation into a frenzy.