Considering Trae Young exited the blowout loss with injury, there weren’t very many highlights from the Hawks’ first exhibition game of the 2021-22 season, a 125-99 loss Monday in Miami.
But, preseason is the time to iron out issues and get ready for when games count.
The Hawks host the Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, and will have four exhibition games total before their regular season begins Oct. 21, hosting the Mavericks at State Farm Arena.
Let’s break down what we learned from Monday’s loss:
On a positive note, it seems like Trae Young is going to be just fine. Early in the third quarter, Young immediately walked back to the Hawks’ locker room after getting tangled up with Gabe Vincent — he was diagnosed with a right quad contusion and didn’t return to the game. Afterward, Young said he was going to be OK, even if he’s experiencing some pain and swelling right now. Young staying out of the game makes total sense, even if it’s something minor, considering it’s only an exhibition game.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
You’ll have to have a little patience to get a long look at the rookies. But, they certainly made a splash in the few minutes they shared in the fourth quarter, with Sharife Cooper throwing an alley-oop off the glass to Jalen Johnson, his Summer League teammate, in Trae Young-to-John Collins fashion. They entered in garbage time, so there’s not much concrete to assess as far as how NBA-ready the pair look, but both are slated to get more playing time Wednesday. Hawks coach Nate McMillan said Monday’s game would feature more veterans and players who were on the roster last season, and Wednesday’s will feature more younger players and new additions. Johnson finished with four points, one rebounds, one steal and one block in 12 minutes, and Cooper finished with three assists and one steal in 10 minutes.
The Hawks looked a step slow. The Hawks were disorganized and got worked by Miami on defense, with poor shot selection often leading to transition baskets the other way. Turnovers, in particular, were rough, with the Hawks committing 16 and the Heat capitalizing with 28 points. McMillan has said conditioning is a point of emphasis in training camp, and this game showed the Hawks have a lot of tightening up to do before the regular season rolls around. The preseason is about measuring where you are, and: “It showed that we’ve got a lot of work to do,” McMillan said. “I thought we were sloppy in our execution. They were the more aggressive team from start to finish. I thought they out-scrapped us, outworked us, and just played with a lot more energy.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
The Hawks simply need their key guys back. They were missing Clint Capela (left Achilles injury management), De’Andre Hunter (right knee injury management), Kevin Huerter (left ankle injury management) and Onyeka Okongwu (right shoulder surgery rehabilitation), and that’s an untenable amount of talent sitting on the bench. Capela, Hunter and Huerter are expected to be healthy by the regular season, so sitting out for as long as they need in the preseason makes sense. Okongwu likely won’t be ready until late December or early January.
Veteran contributions off the bench continue. Building on what they did last season, Lou Williams and Danilo Gallinari gave the Hawks solid minutes off the bench. Williams finished with 13 points, two rebounds and a steal, and Gallinari added 14 points and two rebounds.
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