News and Notes From Hawks Practice

The Hawks flew to Dallas on Friday afternoon for a game against the Mavericks on Saturday night. Before they left, they practiced in Atlanta and addressed the media. Here are the most important news and notes from Friday afternoon.

“All of our bigs are banged up right now”

The Hawks have been without their top two centers in the rotation lately, which has pressed Damian Jones and John Collins into heavier duty – particularly on defense. Those two have held up well at times, but Atlanta needs its full complement in order to shore up some of its weaknesses and alleviate some pressure from Collins’ shoulders.

Alex Len has missed last seven of the team’s last nine games with back and hip flexor injuries. On Thursday, Len went through a workout that included light jogging and close-range shooting, but will remain out for the foreseeable future. He has entered “a period of brief rehabilitation,” according to the team, and will be re-evaluated in seven to 10 days.

Bruno Fernando strained his calf against the Wizards on Sunday and though his activity level in practice has progressed, he remains questionable moving forward. “He was better today than he was yesterday,” Lloyd Pierce said of Fernando.

Jabari Parker, who hasn’t played since January 3 due to a right shoulder impingement, has begun to ramp up his on-court activity and will be re-evaluated soon. He went through a fairly strenuous workout after practice on Thursday that involved shooting jumpers and finishing at the basket with both hands. Earlier in the week, he had been limited to shooting only with his left hand. He won’t be a panacea for a thin frontcourt, but simply having an extra body and capable scorer back in the rotation could give Atlanta an important lift.

Meanwhile, DeAndre’ Bembry had a doctor’s appointment during practice for his right hand neuritis. There is no current timetable for his return.

Young extends assist streak

Trae Young has handed out at least 13 assists in each of his last five games – a product of playing more minutes and building chemistry with Kevin Huerter, John Collins, Cam Reddish, and De’Andre Hunter. Young has spent time watching film of his passes and his teammates’ shots in order to get a better sense of how and where they like the ball, and that attention to detail continues to pay off as Atlanta’s young core spends more time together.

“My teammates have been making plays, I'm just trying to get them in better spots,” Young said. “There's different things that I like that I've seen and I've noticed watching film, and I'm trying to get them in better position. So it's definitely shown the last couple of games.”

Absences of key players – which, at times, included Young – earlier in the season prevented the Hawks from building the sort of chemistry they exhibited in their recent win over the 76ers, and with so many new players on the roster, the team couldn’t simply hit the ground running with their ball movement and offensive flow. As the point guard, Young is largely responsible for incorporating others into the offense, and he has gradually learned how best to accommodate his teammates and rediscovered the connection he had with Collins and Huerter a season ago.

“It's tough, especially being in my position where I have to make sure everybody's happy, everybody's feeling good,” Young said. “So you grab all these young guys and we're all new to each other, John hasn't played, Kev's been injured, I got injured a couple times, and it's like you never really get a full chemistry going. And now that we're starting to get a little bit of that we're just getting better.”

Looking ahead to the Mavericks

At 29-18, the Mavericks have been one of the most surprising teams in the NBA this season behind the play of Luka Dončić – who surged from 2019 Rookie of the Year into the MVP conversation. Dončić, however, is reportedly unlikely to play against the Hawks on Saturday night after spraining his ankle in practice earlier this week, which should make the game more winnable for the Hawks. But the Mavericks have a wealth of talent that extends far beyond their star player. Seven rotation players average at least nine points per game, all of whom play hard and smart – even when Dončić isn’t on the floor.

“I feel like their entire roster, all of their players, are 50-50 players,” Pierce said. “They make effort plays, they make hustle plays, they make winning plays. Finney-Smith, Brunson, Kleber, you just keep going down the line. All those guys are just competitive players that make winning plays.”

Young will miss out on an opportunity to measure himself against the player for whom he was traded on draft night in 2018, but both stars have made a conscious effort to downplay any sort of rivalry or comparisons between the two, and Young says he’s more excited to play in front of some of the Oklahoma fans who live in Dallas. “I'm more looking forward to going up and playing in front of some Oklahoma fans,” he said. “They've got a lot of Oklahoma people out in Dallas.”

Young to play in Rising Stars game

Young and Dončić will both play in the Rising Stars game at All-Star weekend in February, the NBA announced today. Both will also start the All Star game on February 16 as first-time All-Star selections. Putting aside their history with one another, it’s a shame we won’t get to see both players this Saturday night. Both Young and Dončić are two of the most electrifying young talents in the NBA, and a fully-healthy Mavericks team would have been an interesting measuring stick for the Hawks after an encouraging win over the 76ers on Thursday.

Instead, the head-to-head matchup will have to wait until February 22 – Atlanta’s second game after the All-Star break – at the earliest. The years to come, however, should have much more in store between these two.