Atlanta Hawks vs Boston Celtics: Preview, How to Watch, and Projected Starters For Today's Summer League Game

While the Summer League games obviously don't count towards team record, the Hawks have started their stint in the Las Vegas circuit on an excellent run of form.

Beating the Summer League rosters of the Spurs and Nets isn't exactly a sign that the Hawks sudden;y have the most young talent in the NBA. However, they've been playing good basketball to start and Atlanta's invested significant draft capital into players that are showing signs of promise in Vegas. Their mettle has been especially impressive and it was readily apparent against the Nets on Saturday. They'll now have to prove themselves again against the Celtics tonight.

Game Preview

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, Milos Uzan, Uzan, NBA, Flemings, Kingston Fleming — Nov 8, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars guard Milos Uzan (7) celebrates with guard Kingston Flemings (4) after a play during the second half against the Towson Tigers at Fertitta Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Despite being down by 10 points with under eight minutes on the clock, Atlanta answered back and held Brooklyn to only nine points for the rest of the game. That's in no small part due to Zuby Ejiofor's great defensive night. He only scored 13 points, but he had three blocks and two steals on the defensive end. On offense, the headline scorer for the Hawks was Kobe Johnson, who is the younger brother of Hawks star Jalen Johnson. Kobe collected 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists as a key part of this Summer League squad against the Nets.

It should be noted that the Hawks significantly benefitted from the Nets missing almost every three-pointer they took - they finished the night shooting a measly 8% from deep. Chaney Johnson was clearly Brooklyn's best player and finished the night with a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds. He brought it on defense as well with five steals. If the Nets somehow decide to waive him, he should be a priority for the Hawks to bring in on a two-way deal.

Tonight's game is a different challenge - they'll be playing a Celtics team that has yet to lose a game in Las Vegas. Boston's Summer League team has picked their two-way contracts and G League roster spots well. They're coming off a 87-75 win over the Hornets where they shot 40% from deep as a team and held Charlotte to 29% shooting from deep.

There were a few strong performances from the Hawks' bench, but most of the starters outside of Ejiofor struggled against the Nets. Kingston Flemings was no exception. While his shooting struggles have persisted thus far, his ability to minimize turnovers and find others for assists while bringing tons of defensive effort has been excellent. Brooklyn stymied him into six turnovers and he only finished with nine points on 4-11 shooting. Even so, Flemings still had seven rebounds. He can impact the game in a multitude of ways and that's extremely encouraging to see.

He'll have a tough challenge against the Celtics. Hugo Gonzalez is a hard-nosed defender and has a size advantage on Flemings at 6'6. Gonzalez has been a centerpiece of the Celtics' Summer League team and he's shown up as a defensive stopper who can also create some offense for himself. Dillon Mitchell's defensive effort has also been excellent, but he'll probably take the assignment against Asa Newell and Gabe Madsden. Even so, that's going to be a problem. Mitchell led the Celtics with 24 points on 10-20 shooting and was even better on defense with six steals and two blocks. John Tonje is also a good shooter with plenty of experience - it'll be interesting to see if the Hawks can contain him on the perimeter.

Their bench isn't quite as impressive, but Milos Uzan looks like he may have a future in the NBA after essentially playing as a sixth starter against Charlotte. He had 13 points off the bench with six assists and four rebounds against only two turnovers. As a four-year college player, Uzan just needs to show that he belongs at the NBA level athletically and he's making a credible argument to stick. He might also be a target for the Hawks on a two-way contract if Boston decides not to keep him around. There's pre-existing familiarity between him and Flemings from their time together in college and Atlanta could use guards who can do a little bit of everything in their G League development pipeline.

Personally, I think that the Hawks should really consider starting Kobe Johnson over Gabe Madsen. Johnson's out-produced him thus far and ended up playing more minutes against Brooklyn. Madsen has stuck in the starting lineup thus far, but he doesn't bring a lot of ancillary skills and he's coming off a game where he only shot the ball four times.

How to Watch

Today's game will be shown at 6:00 p.m. ET on Prime Video.

Projected Starters

G - Kingston Flemings

G - Isaac McKneely

F - Gabe Madsen

F - Asa Newell

C - Zuby Ejiofor

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