Five Lessons from Hawks Loss to Cavaliers

Most Atlantans spent several hours Wednesday watching the rain-delayed Atlanta Braves playoff game. Luckily for our city, the Braves made up for the Hawks falling to 2-1 in the preseason.

The Cavaliers defeated the Hawks 105-99 in an unusually sloppy game for both teams. While it is preseason and records do not mean much, there is always plenty of work to be done. Below are our five biggest takeaways from the Hawks first preseason loss.

John Collins

Last year, John Collins' shooting numbers took a slight dip due to a gruesome finger injury. The 25-year-old tried to assure everyone at Media Day that his finger was fine, but now we can finally believe him.

Collins scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds last night. But if we zoom out and look at all the preseason games, we see a highly-efficient shooter. Through three preseason games, Collins has shot 16-26 (61.5% FG) and 4-8 (50% 3PT).

The Hawks' most tenured player is often left to freelance on offense and pick his spots. According to head coach Nate McMillan, Collins' involvement in the offense often depends on the matchup. Through three games, Collins has displayed an ability to score at will.

AJ Griffin & Jalen Johnson

The most exciting aspect of last night's game was watching rookie AJ Griffin, and second-year player Jalen Johnson play extended minutes. Griffin was the first off the bench due to injuries (more on that below) and tallied 11 points and seven rebounds.

In Johnson's first preseason game, he grabbed 11 rebounds in 22 minutes. The 20-year-old couldn't get his shot going, but he forced his way to the line multiple times and hit all five free throw attempts.

Overall, I was quite impressed by Griffin and Johnson. They both hit the glass hard and looked like they belonged out there. Of course, their defense will be an area where they must improve, but that is true for all young players. It will be interesting to see their roles once the team is fully healthy.

Health

Backup point guard Aaron Holiday missed Wednesday night's game with a family issue but is expected to rejoin the team before their final preseason game on Friday night.

Additionally, Clint Capela looked strong last night (15 rebounds in 23 minutes) before exiting the game early with a right thumb strain. Bogdan Bogdanovic continues rehabilitating his surgically-repaired right knee and has not yet gone live with the team during training camp.

Fatigue

Hawks announcers Bob Rathbun and Dominique Wilkins pointed out the team's heavy legs due to jetlag. Earlier this week, they flew back from Abu Dhabi and are still dealing with fatigue.

It was most noticeable with the starting backcourt's shooting. Trae Young had an uncharacteristically cold night, going 3-17 from the field. Dejounte Murray shot 7-19 but did knock down 3-6 three-point attempts. Both players will be just fine. They just need some time to get their legs under them.

Jarrett Allen

Let's pivot from the Hawks to discuss the Cavaliers' center, Jarrett Allen. The All-Star implemented a strict no-fly zone in the paint. Allen blocked five shots and helped hold the Hawks to 29.5% shooting on two-point attempts.

Allen seemingly pushed the Hawks out of the paint as the game progressed. The Hawks shot attempts in the lane decreased from 6-14 in the first quarter to 2-10 in the second quarter, 3-6 in the third quarter, and 2-6 in the fourth quarter.

Credit to Capela and backup center Onyeka Okongwu for not backing down against Allen. But sometimes, you have to tip your cap to excellent defense.

Not in JA's House.@_bigjayy_ | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/nq3NKBcCLi
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) October 12, 2022

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