Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports
Five Lessons Learned from Hawks Preseason Win Over Bucks
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The Atlanta Hawks could not have envisioned a better start to the NBA preseason. Sure, they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 123-113. But records do not matter right now.
What is important is the promise shown by the revamped Hawks roster. Without making too many sweeping declarations after one exhibition game, there were some lessons learned on Thursday. Below are our five biggest takeaways.
Two Point Guards
Easily the biggest question of the offseason was how Trae Young and Dejounte Murray would coexist. If yesterday was any indication, the two All-Stars will benefit from each other greatly in a symbiotic relationship.
It is clear that the starting five has two point guards. Young and Murray split time running the offense and turned up their aggression when the other was off the floor.
Murray tallied an efficient 25 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists. Young logged 22 points and three assists despite a cold shooting night. Not a bad debut for the Hawks' new two-headed monster.
Young appears more comfortable with the ball in his hand, but when he filled the role of shooting guard, it broke the Bucks' defensive balance on the floor. This is going to be fun.
Nate McMillan's Plans
Before the game, Hawks head coach Nate McMillan said he wanted to give his top seven or eight players between 24-30 minutes of playing time. McMillan delivered on that promise. Plus, he was able to clear the bench at the very end.
The team was without Bogdan Bogdanovic (knee) and Jalen Johnson (non-Covid illness). But we can infer that Johnson would replace Frank Kaminsky in the rotation. It's also likely that once Bogdanovic returns, it will eat into the 26 minutes played by yesterday's 6th man Aaron Holiday.
Holiday Season
Speaking of Holiday, both Aaron and Justin looked great yesterday. Aaron scored 16 points and only turned the ball over time. Justin scored 9 points and wreaked havoc on the defensive end of the floor. The Hawks bench is markedly better this year.
Improved Defense
The Bucks shot the lights out during the first half of yesterday's game, hitting 11 three-pointers. Even worse, Giannis Antetokounmpo was able to find his way into the lane with relative ease. But there is not much you can do when a team is red hot, plus Antetokounmpo gets to the rim against every team.
With that said, the Hawks defense is a different beast this year. The team played with far more energy and was communicating. In several instances, Murray cleaned up the mess by getting a hand in the passing lane or blocking a shot.
John Collins Health
We can put our concerns about John Collns' injuries behind us. Collins finished off a ferocious alley-oop late in the first quarter. The springy power forward scored 16 points on 7-10 shooting.
After the game, Collins slightly bristled at a question about how he felt on the court. It's clear that 'John the Baptist' is back in business.
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