The Hawks have not taken their attention off of achieving their training goals upon their return from Abu Dhabi. With two more exhibition games remaining before the regular season opens Oct. 19, the Hawks want to make the most of what’s left in the preseason.
The Hawks won their first two exhibition games, against the Bucks. Since the games took place in Abu Dhabi, the team focused on recalibrating after the long flight.
“I knew today would be a tough day for us, just getting back off the road, and we’re trying to get our legs back,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said Tuesday. “And we’ll work on that again, tomorrow. It’d be good to get into a game, but we have two more games before we strap up for real, you know. So, the focus is to continue to improve our conditioning, continue to improve both ends of the floor. You know, so we’re not really thinking about next week; the focus is on Cleveland tomorrow. And you know, really getting working.”
On Wednesday, the Hawks will face the Cavaliers, who similarly added a major piece to their backcourt. The Cavaliers acquired Donovan Mitchell in hopes of giving Darius Garland the right running partner.
The Cavaliers, like the Hawks, are still figuring out the flow of things with a new-looking team. But unlike the Cavaliers, both of the Hawks’ star guards have operated at their usual speeds.
Trae Young and Dejounte Murray have looked comfortable in their respective roles. Young scored 22 points in the team’s first game Thursday before dropping another 31 in the second exhibition game Saturday. Murray nearly picked up a triple-double Thursday before back spasms sidelined him for the second game.
Following practice Tuesday afternoon, Young expressed confidence in the growing chemistry between the two. He was quick to add that there was still room to grow, though.
“We played a couple of times before each other,” Young said. “But I mean, getting to play against somebody else for the first time in a long time, it’s really good. So I mean, we were waiting for it. I mean, we still got a lot more to grow. So, we’re still learning each other, and it’s gonna take some time. And it’s gonna be fun. It’s gonna be quick.”
In addition to figuring out the balance of handling the ball-handling duties, McMillan has urged the guards to get in on the rebounding action. The Hawks allowed the Bucks to out-rebound them 94-75 in the first two exhibition games.
The Cavaliers have plenty of size in their frontcourt, and the Hawks will need to rebound by committee to limit any second-chance opportunities.
The Hawks will have Murray back in the fold Wednesday. The team sat him Saturday as a precautionary measure, but he fully participated in practice Tuesday.
“We just felt he needed to, you know, allow that back to loosen up the spasm he played 30 minutes in the game prior to that,” McMillan said. “So, I expected a couple of those guys to be a little tight.”
The team also will get a boost from Jalen Johnson, who will return to the lineup after missing the Abu Dhabi series with a non-COVID illness.
The Hawks and Cavaliers tip off at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
