Hawks guard Jordan Crawford showed no fear in his first NBA game, and coach Larry Drew admires that quality in his rookie.
Crawford didn't show much discretion, either, and that's something Drew plans to address.
Crawford missed 10 of 15 shot attempts during the Hawks' 115-111 overtime exhibition loss to Memphis on Thursday at Philips Arena.
“I think I am going to have to settle him down just a little bit,” Drew said. “He’s an aggressive kid, an attacker, and that is intriguing. But shot selection is important on this level.
“I don’t want to take away his aggressiveness, but he’s got to be more selective.”
Crawford led the Atlantic 10 in scoring last season at Xavier and also was assertive during Summer League play. His approach didn't change much in his first game playing alongside Hawks veterans.
Crawford missed his first four shot attempts, but didn't shy away from looking for more. With the score tied at 99-99 and less than 10 seconds to play in regulation time, Crawford rebounded a miss and acknowledged he didn't think about passing before missing a shot at the buzzer.
Crawford scored 13 points in 29 minutes and added four rebounds and three assists against two turnovers.
“I was disappointed in how I played,” Crawford said. “I really didn’t get in a rhythm. I didn’t get comfortable. I probably was thinking too much, too.”
Hawks guard Joe Johnson was among teammates urging Crawford to keep shooting after his slow start.
“You want a guy with that confidence,” Johnson said. “He’s got a lot of talent. I’m going to keep pushing him and encouraging him.”
Smith out
Hawks forward Josh Smith said he's sidelined for a week or so after he suffered a cut to his his right hand Thursday. That means he will miss exhibition games Monday at Detroit and Tuesday at Washington.
Smith said he sliced his hand on the rim, but didn’t realize it until a couple possessions later. The cut required five stitches.
“It’s still a little tender,” he said. “It will be OK.”
Get back
Drew said he wasn't too concerned about the Hawks' 26 turnovers because players are still adjusting to running his new motion offense. Less acceptable to Drew were the 15 fast-break points the Grizzlies scored during their comeback from a 23-point deficit in the third quarter.
During Friday's video session, Drew showed players they didn't sprint back to cut off fast breaks or, when they did get back, they didn't protect the basket to prevent easy shots and give the defense a chance to regroup.
"For some reason, our guys were ball-watching too much," Hawks center Al Horford said. "We have to start getting back. There is no excuse for giving up layups and dunks."
Injury report
Jamal Crawford (back), Mo Evans (knee), Josh Powell (groin), Jason Collins (leg), Etan Thomas (Achilles) and Pape Sy (back) sat out practice Friday.
Crawford said he’s not sure if he will make the trip for games at Detroit and Washington.
Horford said he didn't play in the second half Thursday because he's still limited by a left ankle injury suffered early in training camp.
“We figure we will take it slow since the ankle is still sore,” he said.
See the Hawks
The Hawks plan to hold a pair of practices open to the public: 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Philips Arena and 6 p.m. Oct. 19 at Milton High School.
