Atlanta Hawks Grades and Reactions vs. Chicago Bulls
Atlanta Hawks Grades: The Bench
Dennis Schröder, A
21 Points| 9-13 FG | 1-1 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK |
You could tell Dennis is playoff ready. Three off of a career-high in less than 20 minutes of play (he would have totally gotten it if not rested), Schröder blitzkrieged and bopped all night with a plethora of moves. No assists in the quiver but with that productivity, you have to let him run his own sets. His back to back drives in the second quarter as time expired would have been expected from a seasoned vet much less a second-year bench player. He should at least garner some Most Improved honorable mentions.
Shelvin Mack, D
2 Points| 1-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK |
Mack sized up well on the glass but just couldn’t handle Aaron Brooks slashing and scoring at will. Cautious to say the least being the floor general for the seldom used fourth quarter lineup with no turnovers. He’ll look to find his shot in some more limited minutes going forward but otherwise a forgettable game.
Kent Bazemore, D+
3 Points| 1-4 FG | 1-1 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK |
Seemed like he didn’t have much part in the offense and when he did get looks they were rushed trying to get the Hawks their lead back. Still has signs of immaturity but is so athletic and young, it’s more politically correct to just say he’s still a little raw and will crave some playoff seasoning.
Mike Muscala, C
7 Points| 3-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 2 STL | 1 BLK |
Moose had two huge buckets late in the fourth, going mono e mono with Brooks to make the game a little more interesting. Held his ground admirably with his giant, long arms to frustrate a few drives. He’s also proven to be a quick learner. He pulled the chair on Gasol causing a turnover in the second quarter, right from the Antic playbook.
Pero Antic, C-
3 Points| 1-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK |
Hesitating still with some open looks from three. The ones he did fire were barely off, so he easily could have given you close to a double-digit outing. Figured out later that arms straight up was a pretty good tactic to employ instead of chasing the lengthier bigs.
John Jenkins, D
0 Points| 0-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK |
Jenkins, along with Brand and Daye, played just the last quarter and went through the motions, so these grades almost feel invalid. Nevertheless, John went scoreless and was much of a non factor against a Bulls team trying to win with their starters. Clamped up when forced to dribble and became indecisive. More comfortable when the ball is passed to him.
Elton Brand, D
0 Points| 0-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK |
Elton also went scoreless and had no effect on the game save for a pretty little dime for Muscala. In what could be the last regular season game of his career, I was happy he got some action.
Austin Daye, D
1 Points| 0-4 FG | 1-2 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 2 BLK |
Daye would have joined the third rotation trifecta of going scoreless if he didn’t get an extra chance at the foul line. The more active of the three, Austin tried to do a little to much out of his skill set and it had pretty much no effect.
Next: Mike Budenholzer