Contributions on defense help rookie Prince increase court time

Taurean Prince is adjusting to the life of a rookie.

The Hawks’ wing player has been in and out of the rotation. There have been games when he’s been quickly pulled for miscues. He’s been yelled at. There was a four-game stint in the NBA Development League.

It’s all been part of the learning process.

“It’s been difficult, but that’s life,” Prince said. “You take it for what it is. Continue to work hard behind the camera and just let everything work its way out. You never know what will happen in the future. You have to take everything day-byday and take advantage of your opportunities.”

Prince, the No. 12 pick in the 2016 draft, has played in six consecutive games, one shy of his longest stretch of his young career. Over the past six games, Prince has averaged 22.5 minutes. That included a career-high 30 minutes in Monday’s win over the Celtics. In the seven consecutive games in November, he averaged just 16.3 minutes.

As with any player in the Hawks’ system, it’s defense that gets you minutes and keeps you on the court. The 6-foot-8, 220-pound Prince brings an athletic and physical frame as a wing defender that the Hawks need.

“Hopefully, Taurean is better understanding that the way he’s going to get minutes on the court is with his defense first, defense and rebounding,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “Helping us there. I just feel like he’s had a really good presence defensively. He’s helped us there. He has a physicalness that is helping us.”

The Hawks tend to use a four-man wing rotation with Mike Dunleavy, fellow rookie DeAndre Bembry and Prince vying for the spot with Kent Bazemore, Thabo Sefolosha and Tim Hardaway Jr. Dunleavy is a veteran with a consistent outside shot. Recently Budenholzer said he added Prince to the mix for his defensive ability.