Hawks enter first practice of training camp with ‘super high’ energy, vibes
The Hawks have one day of practice in the books after they opened training camp for the 2025-26 season. With several new players to integrate into the team’s system, the Hawks rode the wave of excitement to make the most of their first practice together.
“Super high, super high,” Hawks guard Trae Young said when asked about the energy of practice Tuesday. “The vibes are really high. I mean, the best part is, we’re all on the court. I look in the training room and don’t see anybody out there in the training room right now. I don’t see anybody in there getting work on, and we’re out here competing, going up and down and playing fast, and that’s what coach wants. And the vibes are super high.”
The Hawks played at the third-fastest pace in the NBA behind the Grizzlies and Bulls last season, and playing fast is a tenet of the team’s system. On media day Monday and again at practice Tuesday, coach Quin Snyder emphasized the team’s goal of capitalizing on transition opportunities.
So, the Hawks ran Tuesday.
“I liked how we ran in practice,” Snyder said. “We did a good job of running. There’s always going to be some mistakes. And there’s different types of mistakes. There’s ones that you know you can clean up, but for us to be aware of that when we are in transition situations, to be efficient, take care of the ball, I think that’s a big emphasis.
“It’s hard to guard against those things (that) make it hard on our defense. But yeah, to Trae’s point, there’s a lot of enthusiasm and good to see everybody back. And a lot of guys had long summers, and I think they were able to get a little time here in September and be fresh for camp.”
The Hawks did not want to rush to any conclusions about their roster before they at least had one practice under their belt. With center Kristaps Porzingis, as well as wings Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard, as well as rookies Asa Newell and Eli Ndiaye, the Hawks have a lot of versatility on the roster. It gives them a lot of flexibility with the lineup combinations they want to run.
“I think in the summertime, we’re a roster, and the challenge is for that roster to become a team, and then for the team to become more and more connected and trust each other even more and communicate even more,” Snyder said.
“Oftentimes, you need time and sometimes adversity helps you in that. But it’s not the Ryder Cup, where it’s the one time that guys come together. But you can see, even to use that, how much enthusiasm and how much people enjoy being part of a team that’s connected.
“We had a lot of guys playing on their national teams. This is different. It’s harder because you have 82 games. There’s different incentives, but to the extent you can develop a group that is that connected, it shows itself on the court with the way you play.”
Snyder has said on different occasions that the Hawks will have to have both patience and urgency with building the team’s connectivity. But some members of the team can feel the beginnings of it.
With Young and Porzingis, the Hawks have created a partnership that can present a myriad problems for defenses.
Young shared that in his love for basketball, he has spent time familiarizing himself with his new teammates’ games and what they like. So, he has begun to understand the basics of where they like to catch the ball, where they like to space out and where they feel comfortable.
Porzingis said he already feels Young’s attention to detail.
“Honestly, I could tell right away that, he’s looking for me, and me and him, we have to develop this two-man game and play off of each other,” Porzingis said. “And, I’ll try to make his life easier. And he’s so smart. He will be able to read me like this, what I want to do, where I want to catch the ball, and sometimes he finds people. Even today, again, he found people in situations they don’t even expect the ball to get to them, you know? And he finds them. So he’s a special basketball player, and I’m excited to play with him.”
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