Hawks take a step and other observations from exhibition against Grizzlies
The Hawks looked much more comfortable in their offense in Saturday’s exhibition outing against the Grizzlies.
They looked like a better-oiled machine with plenty of off-ball movement that allowed them to get into their secondary or tertiary actions based on the Grizzlies defense.
The Hawks faced a Grizzlies squad down several key rotational players. Memphis All-Stars Ja Morant (ankle), Jaren Jackson Jr. (toe), center Zach Edey (ankle) and Brandon Clarke (knee) have not played in exhibition play. The Grizzlies also sat Scotty Pippen Jr. (soreness).
The Hawks built a 17-point lead by the time their key players exited the game at the end of the third quarter.
Here are some observations.
— Zaccharie Risacher looked comfortable in Saturday’s action. He knocked down a pair of 3s one minute apart in the opening quarter.
But Risacher also attacked the basket, taking advantage of his speed to get out in transition for dunks.
He also finished a layup through contact when he slipped behind a defender who moved to double teammate Kristaps Porzingis with 11:05 to play in the second quarter. Porzingis then found Risacher with an overhead pass, and Risacher made the layup with his left hand.
Risacher finished with 16 points, one rebound, two assists and one steal.
— Hawks guard Trae Young didn’t shoot the ball well Saturday, going 0-of-8 from deep and 2-for-11 overall. While his shooting might not have been the hottest, Young remained crucial to the Hawks offense.
He fed his teammates through 24 minutes, dishing eight assists that resulted in 19 points for the team.
Young continued to work as an effective facilitator, even with double teams cutting off his line of sight or defenders picking him up 94 feet away from the basket. The Hawks guard also took a pesky approach to defense, drawing an early offensive foul from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
— Hawks wing Nickeil Alexander-Walker missed Saturday’s game because of personal reasons, according to the broadcast of the game. Based on the team’s first exhibition game, Alexander-Walker will join center Onyeka Okongwu as the first two players off the bench.
With Alexander-Walker out, though, the Hawks tapped two-way guard Keaton Wallace, giving the Hawks some stabilizing minutes setting up Porzingis, Risacher and Johnson.
Wallace finished with six points, two rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
— Wallace wasn’t the Hawks rotational player to have a highlight sequence in Saturday’s action. Hawks wing Vit Krejci not only looked to score, but he showed hustle on the defensive end.
After Memphis’ Caldwell-Pope intercepted a pass, Krejci sprinted to the other end. He cut off Caldwell-Pope at the basket, then turned around and blocked the Grizzlies’ Cam Spencer right after.
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