National Basketball Association

Atlanta Hawks 2016-17 Season Countdown: Day 22

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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In this 2016-17 Atlanta Hawks Season Countdown, we will be counting down the days leading up to the Hawks’ first regular season game.

Here at Soaring Down South, we are counting down the days until the Atlanta Hawks 2016-17 season begins. We’ll continue at 22 days until the regular season starts for the Hawks, highlighting two Hawks with major potential.

Who Has Worn #22 for the Hawks?

Mel Hutchins (1952)

Al Ferrari (1956)

Norm Stewart (1957)

Slater Martin (1957-1960)

Rod Thorn (1966)

Don May (1972-1973)

John Tschogl (1973-1974)

John Drew (1975-1982)

Dudley Bradley (1989)

Roy Marble (1990)

Rumeal Robinson (1991-1992)

Greg Anderson (1995)

Reggie Jordan (1996)

Ed Gray (1998-1999)

Jim Jackson (2000-2001)

Brevin Knight (2001)

Ronald Murray (2009)

Anthony Morrow (2013)

Walter Tavares (2016)

Best Season By A Hawk Wearing #22

John Drew (1977)

24.2 PPG, 1.8 APG, 9.1 RPG, 1.4 SPG in 36.3 MPG

The two-time All Star played in Atlanta for eight of his eleven NBA seasons. In only his third season, Drew took the league by storm. He played in 74 games during his 1977 season, putting up elite numbers alongside an aging Lou Hudson. His 24 points ended up being a career-high, along with totaling the second-highest rebounds per game total of his career. Though this was arguably his best season, the team’s 31-51 record likley kept him from being a member of the All-Star team. Drew seemed to be in line to take the reigns from Hudson, and become another Hawk great.

The Gardner-Webb product played five more seasons in Atlanta before being traded to the Utah Jazz, in exchange for Dominique Wilkins. He showed flashes of stardom, but substance abuse issues ended up ending his career prematurely. Drew missed 38 games during the 1983 season while attending rehabilitation. While he would win the league’s Comeback Player of the Year award in 1984, Drew relapsed into drug abuse in 1985, and was the first player banned from the NBA in 1986.

Who wore #22 most recently?

Edy Tavares (2016-present)