Even though the Hawks fell to the Cavaliers 99-96 in their second exhibition game, there were a handful of things to like about the Hawks’ second-half performance.
Next up, the Hawks will play another exhibition game Saturday in Memphis, then play their final exhibition game vs. Miami next Thursday. Their regular season begins Oct. 21.
Let’s break down some of what we learned from Wednesday’s loss:
After a rocky start, Cam Reddish again showed he can catch fire from beyond the arc. It was reminiscent of him raining six 3′s in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals against Milwaukee, leading the Hawks’ comeback attempt. Reddish’s shot selection in the first half was dicey, but after a sneaker change at halftime, he found a rhythm, hitting three straight 3′s and a jumper in the third quarter to tie the score at 66-66. He finished with five steals and although it wasn’t a perfect performance, it’s an example of Reddish’s potential when he settles down shooting. While some players will get more minutes than others in the preseason, coach Nate McMillan plans to play Reddish in every game to get a closer look at his game (because of a nagging Achilles injury, Reddish didn’t get to play much under McMillan last season).
Kevin Huerter returned and didn’t miss a beat. Huerter, who had a procedure done on his left ankle after last season, started and flashed a more aggressive side, finishing as a plus-12 with 15 points, four rebounds, one steal and one assist. Huerter missed the first preseason game as he rehabs and works up to 100%, which he’s expected to reach by the regular season. Last year, Huerter became a key piece in the Hawks’ playoff success, adding much-improved defense to his scoring and passing, so his seamless return is a good sign for the Hawks. De’Andre Hunter struggled shooting (2-11 FG, 2-3 from 3-point range), but getting him back on the floor was another bright spot for the Hawks (he finished with eight points, two assists, two rebounds, one block and three turnovers).
Sharife Cooper flashed potential. Including setting up John Collins for a monster dunk over Jarrett Allen, which put the Hawks up by three midway through the fourth quarter. The rookie didn’t get on the court until late in the third quarter, but looked solid on defense and gave the Hawks a lift, to use McMillan’s words, helping them get back in the game. Cooper played with energy, finishing with nine points, four rebounds and five assists, with two turnovers. He’s on a two-way contract, but certainly made the case for more playing time in the preseason.
Some good injury news, some bad injury news. It’s not looking like we’ll see a healthy Hawks team until the regular season, with Trae Young getting banged up in Monday’s exhibition game and Delon Wright exiting Wednesday’s after tweaking his left ankle. Plus, the Hawks are resting players throughout the preseason (Bogdan Bogdanovic, Danilo Gallinari and Solomon Hill sat out Wednesday) and Clint Capela (left Achilles injury management) isn’t participating in live work yet. So they’re far from full-force, and experimenting with different lineups.
The Hawks are still not where they need to be, conditioning-wise. That’s been a major emphasis in training camp, per McMillan (having several players injured in the offseason and still rehabbing put them behind). On 91 attempts, they shot 39.6% from the field (40.7% from 3-point range thanks mostly to Huerter and Reddish), with 19 turnovers, and conditioning played a hand in that: “We’ve just got to play to get ourselves in shape… We got the shots, but we just don’t have our legs right now,” McMillan said.
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