Flemings shakes off rust, takeaways from Hawks’ Summer League loss to Jazz

Not the way the Hawks would have wanted to open their Summer League campaign.

But after falling to the Jazz 103-102 on Saturday at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, they got some important lessons.

They struggled with transition defense early in the afternoon and rookie guard Kingston Flemings had some rust to shake off.

Once he did, the 19-year-old helped to execute the Hawks’ almost-comeback. He found Gabe Madsen for a 3 that put the Hawks up 95-93 with 35 seconds to play.

Then Flemings hit a jumper before officials reviewed it and ruled the shot a two-pointer.

The Hawks figured some things out in the second half, but the Jazz got the better of them in late-game execution.

Quick stats: Flemings had 14 points, nine assists and four steals. Asa Newell had 15 points and five rebounds. Zuby Ejiofor finished with eight points and 11 rebounds, while Keshon Gilbert had 12 points.

Jazz rookie Darryn Peterson finished with 28 points and five rebounds.

- Flemings had a tale of two halves in his Summer League debut. It’s the first time, by Flemings’ admission, that he has played 5-on-5 basketball since April.

After getting the feel of the game, Flemings opened the second half by impacting four consecutive Hawks’ baskets.

He got to a mid-range pull-up on the first possession. Then he drew a shooting foul in transition on the second possession. After missing a 3-point attempt, he got back on defense, picked off a loose ball in the Jazz backcourt and sent a bounce pass ahead to Asa Newell for a dunk.

Then he cut the Hawks’ deficit to 54-50 with a 3 from the right wing. His activity sparked a 12-5 run that gave the Hawks their first lead with 7:13 left in the third quarter.

- Forward and center Zuby Ejiofor had an active evening on the glass. The Hawks rookie hustled all over the floor and hung with smaller opponents who called for the switch on him.

Late in the second quarter, he had a strong defensive possession after Jazz rookie guard Darryn Peterson tried to iso him. He stuck with Peterson, forcing a miss on a driving floater. The miss led to Flemings’ first bucket, a 3 in the right corner.

But his activity in the post earned him trips to the free-throw line.

- While Flemings and Ejiofor started Saturday’s game, Henri Veesaar came off the bench and had a quieter afternoon.

But Veesaar had some active moments, setting some solid screens for guards to get to the basket. He rotated out to get open for 3s, even if they didn’t always fall. Veesaar had five points and three rebounds in 18 minutes.

- Kobe Johnson didn’t shy away from his defensive assignment on Petersen. The Jazz rookie frequently called for screens to switch off Johnson.

Things got a little chippy between the two, with officials giving them warnings in the final minutes of regulation before a jumpball. Then Johnson picked up a loose ball foul after pushing Petersen while trying to recover it.