Atlanta Hawks Weekly: Hawks Hit The Road To Start Preseason

With the first week of preseason in the bag, welcome to the first Atlanta Hawks weekly review of the season. The Hawks were on the road this week as their preparations for opening night ratcheted up a gear. Before the Hawks and the Dallas Mavericks face off in Dallas on Oct. 30, Atlanta will have played seven exhibition games around the country. The first two of these games  took place this week, with the Hawks facing the defending champions, the Miami Heat, as well as the Charlotte Bobcats. Both games went right down to the wire, and gave great insight into the early formative stages of the teams development. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at all the Hawks news from the past week.

The Week That Was…

Miami Heat – Monday, Oct. 7 (American Airlines Arena, Miami

Of all the ways you could choose to kick off the preseason, facing off against the defending champions in their home arena would not be at the top of the list. There were no surprises when the Hawks starting five took to the floor. Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver at the guard spots, Al Horford in the middle, with Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll up front. While Chris Bosh and LeBron James were starters for the Heat on the night, while Dwyane Wade and his knee were ominously rested.

Miami came charging out of the blocks, with Bosh scoring 11 points in the first four minutes of play. This led the Heat out to a quick early lead and the new look Hawks were scrambling to find their feet. DeMarre Carroll was one of the sole bright lights for Atlanta early on. The self proclaimed “Junkyard Dog” restricted the reigning MVP, LeBron James, offensively all night. Limiting James to nine points for the night, Carroll also had four rebounds, three steals and a block, as well as contributing 10 points on the other end. The biggest blow of the night for Atlanta was undoubtedly the injury to debutant Gustavo Ayon. The Mexican left the game in the first half and did not return. An MRI after the game would reveal that Ayon could miss anywhere from four to eight weeks with a shoulder injury.

Down 19 points at halftime, the Hawks sprung into life in the second half when the second unit got an extended run. Second-year man Mike Scott was particularly impressive. Scott entered preseason with a non-guaranteed contract, knowing that he was under pressure to perform to solidify his roster spot, and if he felt this pressure, he showed no signs. With a number of his Hawks teammates talking up his hard work and progress during the offseason, the University of Virginia product stepped up on the floor. In 20 minutes, Scott had 13 points and six boards off 60 percent shooting to help rally his teammates back into the game. Although Miami led from wire to wire, Atlanta showed a lot of grit to get themselves back into the game late on. Strong defense from rookie Dennis Schroeder, alongside Mike Scott’s clinical finishing meant the lead was narrowed to two points with 25 seconds remaining, but the Heat would prevail with a five-point victory, 92-87.

Charlotte Bobcats – Tuesday, Oct. 8 (US Cellular Center, Asheville, N.C.)

The Hawks departed Miami, and headed straight for North Carolina and the first of many back-to-backs over the coming months. The Hawks starting lineup remained unchanged with the exception of the veteran Elton Brand coming in in place of the rested Al Horford. Much of the talk pre-game was about the reunion of the former Utah old guard up front, with Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson lining up on opposite sides for the first time since both players left the Jazz.

Instead it was the younger breed of bigs who really caught the eye though. For the Hawks, Mike Scott continued his impressive play from the night before in Miami. His all-around consistent play was complemented by a circus finish towards the end of the first quarter, which also drew the and-one opportunity. For the Bobcats, rookie Cody Zeller showed flashes of why the Charlotte front office was so high on him. The fourth overall pick from the recent draft, Zeller will have won over some of the more skeptical fans in North Carolina with a thunderous put-back dunk after Kemba Walker lost the ball against the backboard.

Atlanta generally controlled the pace of the game, along with the scoreboard, but was never able to extend the lead out of the reach of the Bobcats. This made the late run inevitable and indeed, Charlotte came charging. With the game tied at 82 and 90 seconds remaining, Mike Scott made a clutch 3-pointer off the look from Dennis Schroeder to give the Hawks a bit of breathing space. Charlotte came back to tie it up again though, before coach Mike Budenholzer put his faith in Schroeder to run the decisive play. Despite an awful shooting night, the floater fell with a touch of fortune for the rookie point guard. When Jannero Pargo‘s  response didn’t find the basket, the Hawks had their win, 87-85.

Slam Dunks and Air Balls

Here’s a look at the best and worst aspects of the Hawks play from the past week:

Slam Dunks

• Mike Scott’s play has been the overwhelming positive for Mike Budenholzer after the opening two preseason games. Scott has averaged 16 points and six rebounds for the week, while shooting 66 percent from the floor. Perhaps even more significant is his 2-for-3 from behind the arc, proving that his Summer League shooting was no fluke. From a man fighting for his place in the squad, Scott has transformed himself into a legitimate option at small forward. His recent play will have him penciled in to log heavy minutes at the 3 spot off the bench, but if it continues much longer, his ceiling will be a lot higher.

• When DeMarre Carroll signed with the Hawks from Utah, hustle and grit was a given. What those not overly familiar with the Jazz may not have known is that Carroll is an adept finisher around the rim. Carroll showed no problems with taking contact and finishing inside this week with a variety of acrobatic reverse layups. Carroll’s aggression will lead to plenty of opportunities and a first week in which he averaged 11 points a night, shooting 55 percent, is a solid start. On top of this, after struggling with the long ball against Miami, Carroll showed his range against Charlotte knocking down both of his 3-point attempts.

• So much has been talked of how underrated the Hawks pick up of Paul Millsap was that it may not even be the most underrated deal in Atlanta from the offseason anymore. Adding the veteran experience and guile of former No. 1 overall pick Elton Brand may yet prove to be the difference maker in Atlanta this year. With such a young core of players learning how to play together, Brand is a key figure in the locker room. In his sole appearance this week, the New York native put on a defensive masterclass to lead by example. Brand had seven blocks to go with his eight rebounds and four points against Charlotte in the sort of game you have to feel he will have many more of this year.

Elton Brand will be a key figure in the locker room for the Hawks. (Photo Credit: Danny Bollinger, Flickr)

Air Balls

• The Hawks ranked seventh in the NBA in 3-point shooting last year and should prove to be more than solid from distance again this year. Although, this is preseason and we shouldn’t overreact, it would be impossible to ignore the Hawks poor 3-point shooting this week. Although the problem was likely just rust, it’s one to keep an eye on. For the two games, Atlanta shot a sub-par 28 percent from deep, while this figure was an even more measly 17.4 percent against Miami on Monday. I’d expect this number to steadily improve with game time, but it’s hard for a team who are used to shooting proficiently from deep to stop shooting it. If there isn’t an improvement to these numbers by this time next month, then it will be a genuine concern.

• Another potential early concern for the Hawks falls in the backcourt. If Korver is to start at shooting guard alongside Teague, Korver’s lack of ball handling skills may become an issue for Coach Bud. The ball-handling and play-creating load fell almost solely on Teague when he and Korver were on the floor together this week. That meant that Teague was restricted in terms of scoring opportunities himself and didn’t quite play with the sort of aggression he would want to bring going forward. For the week Teague averaged 8.5 points and three assists in 24 minutes. A key priority for the coaching staff this week will be to find ways for Teague to assert himself, while establishing a steady backcourt rotation while they await the return of Lou Williams.

Rookie Watch

Dennis Schroeder: The young German who impressed so much in Summer League once again displayed his incredible potential this week, while also leaving everyone with a clear reminder of how raw he still is. Against Miami, Schroeder came up with a big steal late in the game courtesy of his trademark defense. Against Charlotte, he had the courage and determination to not only take, but make the game winning shot. On the flip side, Schroeder shot only 29 percent from the field over the two games and matched his eight assists almost like for like, turning it over seven times.

Pero Antic: The Macedonian import from the Euroleague will have intrigued Hawks fans with his introductory game against Miami. Antic looked a solid and steady rebounder,with a willingness to get in the face of his opponent and contest shots. Offensively, it was a real struggle for Antic though. Shooting only 1-for-8, he will look to improve this week. Although the one he did make, a 3-pointer, shows his potential ability to stretch the floor.

Training Camp Cuts

James Johnson. (Photo Credit: NBA.com)

Atlanta has yet to make any cuts to the roster and are not expected to make any until after the game against New Orleans on Sunday. With the roster still standing at 20, everyone but Adonis Thomas has played to date, making him appear likely to be the first man cut. Currently those looking to have the best chance of  making the roster are James Johnson, Royal Ivey, Eric Dawson and Damien Wilkins.

Player of the Week

Although others have impressed, there could only be one winner of this title this week. Mike Scott has led the Hawks to scoring in both of their games this week, while also posting solid rebound numbers, and demonstrating his entire repertoire of scoring.

Weekly Averages: 16 PPG, 6 RPG, 0.5 APG, 66% FG, 66% 3PT

Coming Up Next

Oct. 13: New Orleans Pelicans (Mississippi Coast Convention Center, Biloxi, Miss.)
Oct. 17: San Antonio Spurs (Philips Arena, Atlanta)

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