Atlanta Hawks rookies impress in loss to Rockets

Despite a blowout home loss to the juggernaut Houston Rockets, there were a few positive takeaways for the Atlanta Hawks in what was largely a forgettable drubbing at the hands of a superior team.

Much of the positivity on this night came from the play of the Hawks’ many young players, some of which received the first extended minutes of their career in this game. Now, most of these performances need to be taken with a grain of salt, as many of them took place in extended garbage time in the 4th quarter after Houston had rocketed to a 30-point lead.

Still though, there were positive signs all over the court, and let’s start with the Hawks’ most exciting prospect: John Collins.

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Collins had a strong night as he led the team in minutes for the first time in his career, logging 28 off the bench. He also finished dangerously close to a double-double with 8 points and 12 strong rebounds.

JC continues to impress on the glass, as his tenacious boxing out and springy frame are able to propel him to misses over and around less athletic players. The fight he shows on the offensive glass is of particular note, as he once again had a nose for the basketball to the tune of 4 offensive rebounds.

With a career-high 4 blocks and only 2 fouls, Collins was also able to enforce his will on defense, a place where he has been less comfortable so far in his short career. He even stoned an attempted James Harden layup, which was quite a joy to watch:

Any advancement Collins makes in the early going here is a positive step, so this game, despite the less-than-stellar outcome, could prove to be an important building block for the number-19 pick’s future in the NBA.

The Hawk’s other major draft pick this offseason, Tyler Dorsey, also had a big game coming off the bench.

Dorsey came out hyper-aggressive, driving to the rack with force and speed in his career-high 17 minutes. The former Oregon Duck had played sporadic minutes in the 4th-quarter before this game, but this was the first time he played for an extended period of time and his first appearance in the first half.

Though there were some rookie mistakes from Dorsey (his ballhandling in traffic is not quite there, as he had 3 turnovers), overall he looked solid — notching 10 points on 3 of 6 shooting (including 2 of 4 from 3-point territory) and making both of his free throws. His shooting stroke definitely looks NBA-ready, which is something the Hawks could surely employ.

Dorsey and Collins playing together was a welcome sight, and this was an especially nice debut for Dorsey. He had only played a combined 9:27 in the Hawks’ previous 8 games, and nearly doubled his minutes played in one fell swoop.

Because the Hawks starters got absolutely thrashed by the opposing starters on this night, it was good to see the bench play well — and especially nice to see their draft picks play well on the same night.

Next: Atlanta Hawks vs. Houston Rockets: the good, the bad, and the ugly

The season is young for the Atlanta Hawks… and so are many of their major players going forward. Even though they currently sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, they have a strong coaching staff and have proven as an organization that they can develop players thoroughly. So sit back and enjoy the ride as you watch these youngsters learn and improve at their craft.