Following their 101-80 loss at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night, it was still all-in-all a productive Summer League for the Atlanta Hawks. Led by new lead-assistant coach, Antonio Lang, the Hawks finished with three wins and two losses, and more importantly, got to see how their younger players and recent draftees fared against some of the other top young-prospects across the NBA.
The Players On The Regular Season Roster
A.J. Griffin: It was a rough offensive showing for the second-year man out of Duke, who shot just 6-24 from the field (4-13 from three) in the team’s first two games before being shut down for the remainder of the week. That being said, it was pretty clear when watching the games how much more “NBA-ready” Griffin looked than the rest of the players on the Hawks’ summer-league roster. While this should come as no surprise given that A.J. played in 72 regular season games last season, it was encouraging to see him comfortably defend on the perimeter, show a higher-level of confidence in his handle when trying to take players off the dribble, and just generally, process the game quicker than those around him in the limited amount of game time he received.
After a promising rookie season, Griffin appears to be primed for a bigger role in year-two, and there was nothing we saw in summer league that should make Hawks’ fans any less excited for what he can bring to the table next season.
Kobe Bufkin: It was not the smoothest introduction to the Kobe Bufkin experience for Hawks’ fans, as the Atlanta’s first-round draft selection averaged 14 points, 3.6 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.6 turnovers, while shooting just 25-75 (33%) from the field and a paltry 4-29 (13.7%) from three in five games of Summer League (SL) action. While the numbers certainly weren’t pretty, as I touched upon after the Hawks’ first two SL games, it is worth noting that Bufkin was wading in unfamiliar waters being tasked as the SL team’s starting point guard after occupying more of an off-ball role at Michigan and I think he will definitely look better on offense when playing alongside a more experienced ball handler in Trae Young or Dejounte Murray. On the defensive end, Bufkin’s (generously listed) 195-pound frame proved to be problematic at times when matched up against bigger players, though his instincts certainly showed, especially towards the end of the week, as he racked up 2 steals and 6 blocks over the last three games.
One thing that jumped out to me when watching Bufkin play was how much more comfortable he is when going to his left versus when going right. This was something that first popped up on my radar when watching Adam Spinella’s (wonderful) pre-draft scouting report on Bufkin*, and after watching him play for the last five games, it did look like he was more aggressive when going left than right. You can sort of see it in the highlight real the Hawks’ put together after last night’s game, though it was far more apparent when watching the games live – but notice how he creates space for his lefty floater by initiating contact with the defender when going left, but is content to settle for mid-range jumpers when going right (outside of the pretty euro step past Derrick Lively II which he finished with his left hand). Even earlier in the week, he had a game-winner and made a gorgeous pass out of the pick-and-roll when going to his left.
* a great watch for fans looking to get a better understanding of Bufkin’s game – link here
Look for the Hawks’ to try and get him going to his left a bit more often during the regular season than they did in SL, although it has to be said that unless he shoots it better and proves that he isn’t a liability on the defensive end of the floor, he is unlikely to see consistent playing time as a rookie with Griffin, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Patty Mills and Garrison Matthews, all vying for backup guard minutes off the bench as well.
Mouhammed Gueye: After bursting onto the scene (and into our hearts) in the first two games of summer league, Gueye was a steady presence in Atlanta’s rotation throughout the rest of the week, leaving Vegas with per game averages of 9.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.4 blocks on 42.9% shooting from the field and 37.5% from three. His rim-protection and rebounding instincts are already extremely strong, however his ability to stretch the floor and play-make for a player his size are what make him such a tantalizing long-term prospect. He will certainly need to add some weight to his 210-pound frame as it is too easy at the moment for more physical players to muscle him out of the way when attacking the rim.
Gueye, the 39th overall pick in the 2023 Draft, is almost guaranteed to spend some time with the College Park Skyhawks to smoothen some of the rougher edges of his game, but given how good he looks after just four years playing organized hoops, he could blossom into an NBA-level contributor sooner than people expect.
The Two-Ways
Seth Lundy: I was pleasantly surprised with the flashes Lundy showed in SL. The four-year man out of Penn State showed the ability to knock down the three-ball from all over the floor against all kinds of defensive coverage, shooting 11-34 (32.4%) from the perimeter in Vegas. Despite clearly having the green light from the coaching staff, Lundy did a good job playing within himself and not forcing up a shot when it was not there. In addition to being a capable floor spacer, he also impressed on the defensive end of the floor, totalling 7 blocks in summer league, and his 6’10” wingspan and burly, 215-pound frame made life difficult for whoever he was matched up against.
If you read the header, then you know that Lundy has been signed on a two-way deal for next season meaning that he will split time between College Park and the Hawks first-team roster. Given his defensive prowess and ability to space the floor, Lundy would probably be able to contribute in a pinch next season, so don’t be surprised to see him push for a full-time roster spot once the season begins.
Miles Norris: Norris, a four-year college player out of UCSB, went undrafted in the 2023 draft before the Hawks scooped him up on a two-way deal, and was good-not-great in SL, averaging 7.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2 assists per game on 60% shooting from the field.
He is actually a similar offensive player to Mouhammed Gueye (though he is nearly three years older) in that he is a big who can put the ball on the floor and play-make a little bit and is comfortable from beyond the three-point arc (5/11 from three). Though he certainly has some room for improvement on the defensive end of the floor, it should be interesting to see how he progresses in the G-League this season.
The Non-Guarantees
Vit Krejci: Although still a bit defensively-challenged through two NBA seasons, Krejci was one of Atlanta’s better players in SL, averaging 5.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game on 47% shooting from the field and 28.6% from three. Krejci’s best attribute by far is his passing ability, which really showed up in Vegas, as he racked up more assists (23) than field goal attempts (21) and finished with a sparkling 2.9 assist-to-turnover ratio for a Hawks’ SL team that had a severe deficit in playmaking ability.
Due to his playmaking ability, Krejci doesn’t need to be a big time scorer to carve out a role for himself at the NBA level, however he will need to improve his three-point shooting and one-on-one scoring ability as the value he adds as a passer is significantly lower if there is no one willing to step out and guard him. While he did make some nice cuts in SL as a way of providing some value off the ball, his scoring ability and defense are the two things holding him back from being a valuable option off the bench for any team in regular season play.
The Hawks have until January 10, 2024 to guarantee Krejci’s contract for next season.
Tyrese Martin: Martin finished his second SL go-around averaging 13.2 points, 6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game on 44.4% shooting from the field and 34.8% from beyond the arc. Scoring is Martin’s calling card, and while he showed the ability to get hot for a couple of quarters in Vegas, I do not think he has the athleticism or ball handling ability to create enough separation from his defender to be seen as a real microwave scoring threat in the NBA.
Mix in the fact that he also is not a great defender himself, and it is hard to see the on-court rationale for the Hawks to carry Martin on a full-time contract for next season. Still, Martin is just 24, and would undoubtedly benefit from some more time in the G-League, so if the Hawks’ don’t guarantee his contract by July 21st, I could see them possibly bringing him back on another two-way deal.
The Rest
Mfiondou Kabengele: Kabengele started at center for Atlanta in all five of their games in Vegas, and averaged 8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 54.2% (13/24) from the field and 36.3% (4/11) from three-point range. A bit of a disaster defensively, it is unclear whether or not the former first-round pick will earn a full-time roster spot before next season, although his ability to space the floor will always have value at the center position.
Jarkel Joiner: Joiner, an undrafted rookie guard out of NC State, appeared in four of Atlanta’s summer league games and provided some steady ball handling for the SL second-unit. In 12 minutes per game, the 24 year-old averaged 4.3 points, 1.3 assists and 0.5 assists on 7/20 (35%) shooting from the field and 2/10 (20%) from the perimeter.
Bradey Manek: A former Oklahoma teammate of Trae Young, Manek went undrafted last summer, but spent last season in the Australian pro league. A certified three-point sniper, Manek shot 8/21 (38%) from beyond the arc in Vegas, and averaged 12.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in 19 minutes per game. His defensive limitations and lack of athleticism are holding him back from an NBA roster spot at this point in his career.
Yves Pons: Pons played in 12 games for the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2021-22 season, and was on Brooklyn’s SL roster last season. He played just 24 minutes across two games for Atlanta, and totalled just 2 points, 3 rebounds and a steal.
Tyson Etienne: Etienne was a member of Atlanta’s SL roster last year after going undrafted, and totalled 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 turnovers in 24 minutes of action in his second SL go-around.
David Singleton: An undrafted rookie out of UCLA, Singleton played just 23 minutes in SL for the Hawks, and totalled 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a block on efficient shooting (3-6 from the field, 2-3 from three-point range).
Uros Plavsic: Another undrafted rookie, Plavsic played 31 SL minutes across two games and recorded 11 points, 10 rebounds and a steal on 5-12 shooting from the field and 1-3 from the perimeter.
Marcio Santos: Last but not least, 20 year-old Brazilian big-man, Marcio Santos, only featured in the final game of SL for the Hawks. Santos missed his only field goal attempt, went 2/4 at the free-throw line, and snagged 6 rebounds in 17 minutes of playing time.
