Before Tony Snell’s game-winning 3-point shot fell, Danilo Gallinari had already lifted his arms in celebration.
“I just threw both my arms and hands up because I knew it was going in. If you see the replay, I’m already like this on the wing,” Gallinari said, putting up his hands for emphasis after the Hawks’ 121-120 victory vs. the Raptors on Thursday night in Tampa.
Trae Young, who had passed the ball to an open Snell as seconds waned, had the exact same feeling. His only concern was making sure Snell had enough time to get a shot off.
“As soon as it left his hands, as soon as I gave him the ball, I just knew it was going in,” Young said.
Both of their knee-jerk reactions were correct, and thanks to Snell and their fourth-quarter comeback, the Hawks started the second half of the season with a win, putting together their third three-game winning streak of the season. The attention Young commanded from the defense helped Snell get open, he said, something to which he attributes the success he’s having this year.
“Trae got the ball, went to (drive) it … a lot of guys in the paint because of the amount of attention that he got, and I just tried to find an opening, and I just took a shot,” Snell said, adding “I’m just glad we got the win, overall. That’s all I care about.”
Teammates crowded around Snell, who may be a man of few words off the court but has become a loud 3-point sharpshooter on the court.
“Very few words, but always the right words,” Young said. “He’s always a positive person, always has a smile on his face, is just the true definition of a pro. He comes in, gets his work in, he’s always on time. … He doesn’t say too much, but he always speaks in the right moments and always gives us good knowledge when he sees it, so it’s good having a vet like him on our team.”
Since Feb. 1, Snell leads the NBA in 3-point percentage (at least 12 3′s made), shooting 3′s at a .647 clip (33-51) in 15 games. Overall, Snell is shooting 56.9% from distance this season. In 18.6 minutes per game, he’s averaging 5.1 points, but has played good defense and has a knack for hitting timely 3′s, as Thursday’s win indicates. He has yet to attempt a free throw this season.
In November, the Hawks acquired Snell in a trade that sent Dewayne Dedmon to Detroit. The Hawks were aggressive in free agency, also adding Danilo Gallinari, Rajon Rondo, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kris Dunn and Solomon Hill, but with injuries and the ups-and-downs of the season, Snell has been one of the more consistent newcomers. He missed time at the beginning of the season because of an injury (inflammation of the cuboid bone in his right foot), but since his return has been a welcome 3-and-D veteran presence on a young team.
Upon joining the Hawks, Snell’s agent talked with general manager Travis Schlenk about what kind of opportunity Snell would be getting with the team — it didn’t take long for one to come along.
“You got to give him a ton of credit,” Schlenk said. “He stayed ready. I remember having a conversation with his agent one day, and he was asking if there was going to be an opportunity for Tony, and I told him there was going to be an opportunity some time. Somebody will sprain an ankle. I think the next game, De’Andre (Hunter) had his knee thing. There the opportunity was.
“He’s done everything and more that we could ask him to do. He defends. He makes shots. He doesn’t make mistakes. I think he’s earned the right to maintain some sort of role on this team with the way he’s played.”
Indeed, Snell’s availability and play has come at a good time for the Hawks, seeing as they’re missing two two-way wings in Hunter and Cam Reddish. Even if everyone was healthy, though, the depth, defense and shooting Snell provides comes in handy.
Interim coach Nate McMillan simply described Snell as a “pro.”
“He comes in, he doesn’t talk much,” McMillan said. “When he has something to say, he says it, but he comes in, he gets his work, you never have to worry about him. He comes in every single day, and he has his same routine. He comes in, he practices hard, he gets up his shots and he leaves.
“He’s just been a pro. Whenever you call his name, he’s ready to go to give you whatever he has, all that he has. So I love him in the sense that you want a veteran like that.”
Snell might be soft-spoken off the court, but on the court he speaks up plenty, if you ask his teammates.
“He’s pretty quiet, too, with us, but he talks a lot on the court, and that’s all that matters,” Gallinari said. “When you’re on the court, you know that Tony’s there, and he makes sure that you listen to him. And then, he’s a great pro, he works every day, brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm every day. He’s very positive for everybody and he just does the little things that a lot of times you don’t see on the stat sheets, but he does the little things that are required to win the game, and that’s why he’s been playing great for us.”
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