Notes On Each Hawks Player After Utah Summer League Game 2

In the second game for the Atlanta Hawks in the Utah Jazz Summer League the team fell to the San Antonio Spurs (even without their highly touted first round pick Lonnie Walker IV) by a final margin of 103 to 81.

Though this game ended in a loss, Summer League is all about tracking the growth of the team’s young players — something the Hawks are flush with.

As such, we’ve got notes on each ATL player that saw minutes, starting with the headlining performance of the night for in Atlanta in John Collins.

John Collins – Collins, who was rather quiet in the first game, dominated this affair for the Hawks, showing why he earned Second Team All-Rookie honors in 2017-18. JC finished with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block in 23 minutes of action. He was also playing against a thicket of very long and athletic Spurs players, including former USC big man Chimezie Metu, who was battling hard with JC all night. In fact, Collins got pretty battered in this tilt, finishing up the game by leaving the floor with his nose seeping blood. He should be fine, but I think it’s safe to say JC is overqualified to play any more in Summer League, so let’s take it easy. What do you say Coach Pierce?

Tyler Dorsey – Once again, Tyler Dorsey benefitted from his quite fulfilling first season in the league and had 14 points on the night on 5 of 12 shooting (2 of 5 from deep). It looks as if Dorsey has worked hard on his floor game and footwork in the offseason, as he had multiple moments in this game that showed new moves that he did not express last season, including an awesome flurry of dribbles including a behind-the-back move that led to an acrobatic layup finish from TD. Good stuff from the former Duck.

Trae Young – Though Young again had a rough shooting night (5-16 from the floor, 1-5 from three), his elite passing vision was finding guys wide open all night with some nifty, tricky dimes. Sadly, no one could shoot on Atlanta so he only finished with 3 assists, but the ability is there. Trae is clearly a cerebral and brilliant basketball mind, as you just feel that good things will happen when he has the ball. With a slippery handle, Trae was able to make to the rim with ease down the end of the game, though two of his floaters were swiftly rejected when he didn’t get the arch on them he needed. A far better second game from Trae, who is learning quickly on the fly.

Omari Spellman – The Hawks 30^th overall pick in the 2018 Draft continues to acquit himself well, and on this night, he showed flashes of various skills he can hone at the next level. Watching him play, Spellman is extremely nimble and very light on his feet for a hulking big man. Though his outside shot was pretty flat on this night (only 2 of 7 from deep) he did have an excellent take to the rim that concluded with a Donovan Mitchell-esque scoop shot finish that was pretty sweet.

On defense, Spellman had another vicious swat, this time standing over his downed shooter like a conquering king:

Spellman also had a nice steal and breakaway dunk:

Jaylen Adams – The Hawks assist leader in this game was Adams, he put forth 6 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals in 16 minutes of action versus the Spurs. Adams has good size for a point guard, especially when comparing him to Young or, looking further ahead, Dennis Schröder. Adams also has a good build and solid length, meaning he should make for a pretty complete backup two-way point guard for Atlanta in 2018-19.

Jaylen Morris – Morris continues to have a tough time of it on offense, going 1 of 7 from the field for 4 points in over 16 minutes of action. His defensive upside, however, remains promising, and he should have a role for the Hawks as a defense-first wing in the 2018-19 season.

Antonius Cleveland – Still an exceedingly raw prospect, Cleveland looks fully recovered from the injury that kept him out of most of last season. Though he was a -18 on this night, his effort on defense coupled with his impressive length should make him an important defensive presence for the Hawks in the 2018-19 season.

Jock Landale – Leading the Hawks in rebounds on this night was Jock Landale out of Saint Mary’s College. Jock also had 5 points on the night, including 1 of 2 from three. Watching Landale play, his ability reminds one of Tyler Cavanaugh from Atlanta last season with a little more size.

Zach Smith – An undrafted senior out of Texas Tech, Smith looked quite comfortable on the court against a far more seasoned Spurs side than anyone on the Hawks, and his burly 6’8” frame held up well against the length and athleticism on display. He also had a pretty nice dunk, something he was known for in college:

Brandon Sampson – After a great first summer league game, Sampson only played 2:55 on this night. Still, he showed his impressive burst and speed, blowing past defenders on at least one occasion in his limited action.

Robert Johnson – Not to be confused with perhaps the greatest blues musician of all time of the same name, the Hawks’ Robert Johnson made his debut on this night and scored 4 points in over 14 minutes of playing time. He has solid size, and he put forth excellent effort on defense, which is all you can ask of the undrafted senior out of Indiana.

Alpha Kaba – A second round selection in 2017, Kaba only played 5 minutes in this tilt. He put up 2 points on 1 of 1 shooting with an assist, but he did not grab a rebound – something you might expect from a player that stands 6’10”.

Junior Robinson – Robinson only saw 21 seconds of action in this tilt, going 0 of 1 from the field. The 5’5” Robinson always seems to be talkative on the bench, and personally, I would love to see him handle the ball against these far larger players.

Next: Would Zach LaVine Fit Well on the Hawks?

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