The Atlanta Hawks 2022 Media day is in the books. Coaches, players and Hawks personnel mingled with members of the media and season ticket holders. There was a different aura in the building with many new faces to meet and introduce. Players partook in the annual photoshoot and expressed their expectations and aspirations for the upcoming season to local and national press.
This past offseason brought forth a flurry of changes, with many new incoming players, including: DeJounte Murray, Justin Holiday, Aaron Holiday, Maurice Harkless, Frank Kaminsky, & rookies, AJ Griffin & Tyrese Martin. There was much excitement in the room as the new-look Hawks have conjured a new hype and intrigue.
Trae Young and DeJounte Murray may be the most exciting backcourt in the league. A healthy De’Andre Hunter, John Collins & Clint Capela, is a very formidable front court. Much like recent years, the Hawks have quality players coming off the bench, led by sharpshooter, Bogdan Bogdanovic.
The 2022-23 NBA Season is set to start in less than a month. The Hawks will fly overseas to represent the NBA in Abu Dhabi against the Milwaukee Bucks next week in an exhibition match as part of the NBA’s global initiative.
See below from some of the highlights of Atlanta’s media day:
AJ: Lot of new faces on the roster, what kind of possibilities or challenges does that present to your coaching staff this season?
Coach Nate McMillan: It is exciting, really it is a different team, in the sense that we do have a lot of new faces. We have a young group with the addition of our two draft picks and bringing Aaron Holiday into the roster. Jalen will get minutes this year. It is somewhat of a young group, but it is exciting because I really felt that Landry and the organization addressed what we needed to improve and get better.
AJ: The Eastern Conference seemed like a bit of an arms race, with teams stacking it up and getting better, it is probably the best Eastern Conference we have seen in a long time. Does it give you faith that the franchise made a move to get a guy like DeJounte, and build around you, prove to you they want to win?
Trae Young: For sure, that is my message to them every time I talk to them is how much I want to win. Obviously, what I am going to be based off of is winning games and winning championships. Stats do not do enough, so for me that has been my focus from day one since I got drafted and still is today. I am just trying to win. With them getting DeJounte understanding where we were at the end of the season, the playoffs, and knowing what we needed to do to get better, I think really did show their commitment as well, like you said, to winning and I do appreciate that aspect.
AJ: Can you give Hawks fans a preview of what brand of basketball you guys will be playing as a unit?
DeJounte Murray: You are going to see the ball moving. I think that is the number one thing, playing the right way. A lot of excitement, playing defense, and like I always have said, I love defense. I believe the best offense is getting a stop and getting out and running. I am just excited, we have a lot of weapons around us, dudes that can do a bunch of things. It starts at the defensive end and it will translate to the offensive end, and it will be exciting.
AJ: How are you feeling health wise? And non-basketball related, how do you think the Swiss team will do in the World Cup?
Clint: Health-wise I am doing really well. I worked on my foot the whole summer, made sure that everything was good, I feel really great. Unlike last year where I missed training camp, which is really hard for me. My game is based off me running and energy, and I felt like I could never get back to that last year. I think that Switzerland is going to at least go to the final.
AJ: Was it nice to have a normal offseason?
De’Andre Hunter: This was my first real offseason. Coming off Covid, that was a weird offseason, and last year I had surgery. This was my first true offseason.
AJ: Does playing with a guy like Chris Paul make it seamless coming to an organization with guys like DeJounte and Trae?
Frank Kaminsky: Absolutely. Playing with Chris was kind of the first year of my career I played with a point guard who really wanted to pass the ball. Looking to make plays for others all the time and then knows when to take over when it is time. I heard DeJounte talking about it, both guards averaged nine assists last year. For a guy like me that is going to be great cause I am going to be playing pick-and-roll with those two guys. It is going to be a point of emphasis for our team, moving the ball and making plays for each other. It will be fun and I am looking forward to it.
AJ: Do you think you can career over your summer league success into the regular season?
Tyrese Martin: I definitely think a can, but I know it is a different team, different role. In summer league, the ball was in my hands a lot, but I think I am able to adjust and adapt to the people around me. Play my role to the highest level, maximize whatever that is coach wants me to do to help this team be its best.
