Atlanta Hawks: Five takeaways from the first six games

The Atlanta Haws need more Nathan Knight

After a win over the Grizzlies, head coach Lloyd Pierce said, “I’m only here to talk about Nathan Knight,” so how could we talk about the Hawks’ start to the season and not mention Knight. The undrafted rookie was a pleasant surprise for Hawks fans, scoring 14 points and pulling down three rebounds in less than nine minutes of action against the Grizzlies.

Knight showed off his athleticism with a two-handed slam over Brandon Clarke on an alley-oop pass from Trae Young. He also vaulted up to disrupt an alley-oop on the defensive end as well. He knocked down two 3-pointers and made four of his five free-throw attempts.

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One of the most glaring issues the team has right now is there is no true backup for Capela. In spite of the long layoff since the Hawks’ season ended in March, Bruno Fernando doesn’t seem to have gotten any better and has been a non-factor thus far.

Despite the Hawks’ bench averaging 39 ppg, they are only a -0.5 plus/minus, and that’s in large part to Fernando’s ineffectiveness. Through six games, Fernando is averaging 1.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 0.5 steals-plus-blocks per game. His 44 percent field goal percentage for a big man who rarely ever steps out on the perimeter is dreadful, to say the least.

Knight has proven to be further ahead in his development and more impactful on the game in his limited action. In just 15 minutes of play across three appearances, Knight has scored more points than Fernando and shot the ball more efficiently.

He’s only appeared in three games and has a plus/minus of -16 in 15 minutes of game action, but with the Hawks lacking size in the paint and injuries mounting up, the 6’10” 253-pound big man could force Pierce’s hand into giving him more playing time.