Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray in a recent press conference was full of praise for Lakers' LeBron James for being his mentor.

The Atlanta Hawks going into the 2021-22 season were expected to be a solid playoff team. With them making all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2021 playoffs, the Hawks opted to run it back with the team last season. This time though, the team did not perform to its expectations.

Hugely dependent on Trae Young and his talents, the Hawks failed to make it even to the second round of the playoffs. Given their results, the Hawks knew they needed to change some things in their roster. With that in mind, Atlanta splashed the cash and made a big trade as they brought in Dejounte Murray. A swift guard, Murray is an agile defender and led the league in steals. Given how big of a defensive liability Young is, Murray seems to be the ideal fit for the Hawks.

Dejounte Murray Full Of Appreciation For LeBron James

Murray's trade to the Hawks is certainly one of the biggest moves in the ongoing offseason. The guard was recently presented by the Atlanta Hawks. Murray, in his first press conference for the team, talked about a host of things. From team expectations to else, Murray was asked multiple questions in his first Hawks presser.

One of them was about LeBron James and the Lakers' superstar mentoring him. Dejounte was certainly full of praise for his mentor.

"Great man, great leader, great father, great basketball player. Somebody that took me under his wing around 17 years old. … I’m just thankful to have somebody like that in my corner guiding me off the floor and on the floor. That's a great dude and I appreciate him."

It will be interesting to see how Murray fares with the Hawks. Till now, the swift guard hasn't had many challenges in the playoffs. With Atlanta, things might change pretty fast. Given that the team has some solid players, the Hawks can make a splash in the league. If Murray can gel well with the team, the Hawks are in for a great season.

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