The Atlanta Hawks went on the road last night and earned their second consecutive preseason win, this time against the Indiana Pacers.
As the Hawks have done so far this preseason, they sat one starter last night (Nickeil Alexander-Walker) and played the rest of their top players, including Lu Dort, who made his Atlanta debut yesterday. Atlanta has two more preseason contests to get ready for their season opener next Wednesday against the Orlando Magic.
So how did each player grade out in last night’s win?
Starters
CJ McCollum: B
Lu Dort: C
Dyson Daniels: C
Jalen Johnson: A
Onyeka Okongwu: B+
This was the Jalen Johnson show.
Johnson had a disappointing performance in the first game against the Grizzlies and then did not play on Thursday against the Spurs, but he made sure to show up on Saturday night against Indiana. Johnson scored 20 points on 8-12 shooting, including 2-2 from three, while also grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out three assists. His handle looked tight, he scored in the halfcourt, and the defensive rebounding was very good. It was a star effort from Atlanta’s star player.
Okongwu did not have quite as good of a night as Johnson, but it was still very good. He finished with 18 points on 50% shooting, with most of his damage coming early in the second half.
For McCollum, Dort, and Daniels, their impact was up and down. Most of McCollum’s scoring came at the free throw line and he did not shoot the ball very much. Daniels was not as aggressive with Johnson in the lineup, but did hit one of his four three point attempts, while also pulling in four rebounds and four assists.
So how did Dort look in his first action with the Hawks starters?
He did not shoot the ball very well and was a bit of a negative on offense, but he defended Pascal Siakam fairly well and held up on that end. Far from perfect, but should not ring any alarm bells.
Reserves
Aaron Wiggins: B+
Corey Kispert: C-
Kingston Flemings: B-
Asa Newell: B
Jock Landale: C-
RayJ Dennis: B
Zuby Ejiofor C
Kobe Johnson: C
Jalen Wilson: B
Wiggins was the star for the Hawks off the bench on Saturday night. He scored 13 points, was aggressive shooting the ball (3-6 from three), and played well on defense. That is the version of Wiggins the Hawks envisioned getting when they traded for him.
Kispert saw nearly 20 minutes again and it was more of the same. He was 1-4 from three and if he is not hitting shots, it is tough to argue he should be playing that many minutes because of his defense.
Flemings was not the star of the show that he was on Thursday and ran into a bit of foul trouble, but he scored eight points and still looked in control.
Newell did not see any first half minutes, but I thought he made the most of his minutes, scoring eight points, grabbing three rebounds, and having two assists. For him, it is tough for him to be out there along with Kispert and Landale because of defensive problems. That is a trio that is going to struggle when on the floor.
Ejiofor only played 12 minutes, all coming in the second half, and it was tough to judge him in those minutes since it looked like Atlanta was looking to try a different look.
Johnson and Wilson played fewer than 10 minutes, but Wilson ended up scoring eight points and pulled in three rebounds as well.
The Hawks are back in action tomorrow night against Oklahoma City at home.
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