Image from ATLHawks Twitter
Just when you thought things were going good, they’re not. For what seemed like the first time this season, the Hawks got off to a great start. While the defense in the first two quarters may have been atrocious, and that’s an understatement, the offense was firing on all cylinders.
Although the Hawk’s outscored the Nets in two quarters, they still picked up the loss, with the final score being 108-117. Kevin Durant once again had a great night, and despite the superstar forward dropping 32 points, Hunter played great defense. What was surprising was Hunter’s offensive contribution. He finished with 26 points on a scorching hot 10-11 from the field. We see these games from him sprinkled throughout the year; last year’s season-high being 33 points on the Milwaukee Bucks, and while his inconsistency is not as significant as that of Cam Reddish, it would be nice to see him get to show these flashes more often.
Another positive takeaway from this game was the bounce-back performance from Kevin Huerter. While “K’Von” didn’t receive the same type of bag that John Collins and Trae Young did, the two-guard did receive the extension he had been hoping for, and Hawks’ fans have been waiting for him to prove his worth for the better part of this season. However, the positives from this game stop there. If you looked at the box score, it would seem that everyone outside of the bench unit played reasonably well. However, stats don’t tell the whole story.
After starting the game with 8 points and 2 assists in about 3 minutes of game time, Trae came to a screeching halt for the rest of the game. He shot 6-22 for the game, and again as always, the way Trae plays will forever determine how the Hawks play. Not necessarily his production, but his energy on the floor. He could finish with 10 points and 10 assists, but if he is locked in and isn’t giving up easy buckets on the other end, a la wide-open Joe Harris three-pointers, the rest of the team will likely follow suit.
As Hawks fans, we sometimes tend to be too hyper-critical especially given the expectations placed on this team after an incredible playoff run. However, with a loss like this, that criticism is warranted. Once again, this was another game where it felt like I was watching the Lloyd Pierce Hawks, a team with a complete lack of energy outside of one or two players. If the Hawks want any chance of finishing with a top 3-seed, they need to find that same chip they played with during the playoffs this past year.
Let’s hope that we see that tonight as we face off against the top team in the Western Conference, the Utah Jazz. Tonight will debut the new Hawks’ city jersey and court and will be available to watch on the Bally Sports Network at 7:30 ET.
