Atlanta Hawks vs Washington Wizards: Preview, How to Watch, and Projected Starters For Today's SL Game

The Atlanta Hawks entered their game against the Memphis Grizzlies undefeated and vying for their fourth straight win. Instead, they put up one of the most feeble offensive performances ever in a single quarter of basketball. Memphis out-scored them 33-2 in the first quarter and rode that to a blowout win over a Hawks roster without Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor or Asa Newell. Atlanta's only player on the floor who might get notable minutes during the regular season was Henri Veesar and even then, the former UNC standout needs a lot of work before he's ready for NBA-level competition.

Outside of a decent scoring night from Isaiah Wong, there really weren't any positives to take away from Atlanta's night. Nobody got hurt and Wong did have 20 points on 7-11 shooting to go with four steals. Even so, it probably won't factor much into the decisions the Hawks have to make on their roster.

Atlanta missed out on a clinching spot for the Summer League playoffs, but making it through the bracket with everyone healthy is a win and they saw what they needed to see from all three of their most important young players. Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor and Asa Newell all showed signs of development in Summer League and there's reason to be optimistic about their chances to break into the rotation next season. Veesar will need more time to develop on defense, but the three-point shot looks decent and there's reason to believe he could eventually develop into a floor-spacing big man.

Tonight's game against Washington will likely be one without Flemings, Ejiofor and Newell. Washington already shut down AJ Dybantsa and other intriguing young players like Tre Johnson and Will Riley aren't playing either. Whereas the Grizzlies were still playing guys who will factor into their rotation next season, the Wizards have gone in the opposite direction. That probably means that the Hawks should have a better performance tonight.

Kobe Johnson has been having a great summer, but his last game against the Grizzlies was a dud. He scored four points on 2-7 shooting from the field, so there's reason to be concerned about what he will look like at the NBA level. If he can dominate tonight against Washington, that might be enough to just bring him in on a two-way and stash him in College Park to continue developing.

The rest of Atlanta's lineup has been pretty uninspiring. Devon Higgs hasn't been able to replicate the scoring burst he had earlier in the circuit and Gabe Madsen struggled in his first stint coming off the bench. He missed all eight of his attempts from deep. In my opinion, nobody has stood out as a clear two-way add except for Johnson. A strong performance tonight may swing in the favor of someone like Eli Ndaiye or even Cameron Corhen just because of their athletic tools.

If the Hawks look outside the organization to bring in a two-way player, it'd be interesting to add Seth Trimble if Washington doesn't give him a two-way. He's a great defender and he's coming off a 24 point performance on 8-12 shooting against the Clippers. The shooting isn't very consistent, but there could be something to be gained from taking a chance on a strong point-of-attack defender who's also a great athlete. He's also got some familiarity with Veesaar from their time together at UNC.

After tonight's game, the Hawks' stint in Summer League will end. All the attention now turns towards resolving the Jonathan Kuminga situation and making a decision on whether one of Zaccharie Risacher or Corey Kispert will be moved this summer.

How to Watch

Today's game will be shown at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Projected Starters

G - Isaiah Wong

G - Isaac McKneeley

F - Kobe Johnson

F - Cameron Corhen

C - Henri Veesaar

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