NBA in Threes: Nikola Jokic and too much eating; LeBron rolling early
By Jade Johnson
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks took their second hit against the Miami Heat since losing Trae Young to a sprained ankle This was my first chance to catch the Hawks play this season and I was really disappointed that I didn’t get the chance to see Young on the court. The good news is that he’s listed as day-to-day and could be back on the floor as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday.
Young’s production is sorely missed on the offensive end of the court especially. Both Kevin Huerter, and Cam Reddish have started the season in shooting slumps scoring only 3.6 and 1.8 field goals per game so far. Even if Young comes back and picks up right where he left off in terms of scoring, the Hawks are going to need more production from these two guys if they’re going to land a playoff berth come April.
The Hawks bench was a bright spot in this game. All bench players were 0 or better in the plus/minus calculations and DeAndre’ Bembry, Jabari Parker, and Tyrone Wallace all had double-digit scoring production combining for 53 points, 12 assists and 21 rebounds. They outscored Miami’s bench by 26 points. Those are the kinds of numbers you gotta like from a bench any day of the week.
Another issue I saw with the Hawks is that they’re a pretty young team that needs to learn better decision making. 10 of the guys on the roster are 25 years old and under. The bad news is only time can solve that problem. The good news is time will solve that problem.