Soaring Down South
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Atlanta Hawks: Final Thoughts from Utah Summer League

By Chris Guest

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JULY 3: Omari Spellman #6 of the Atlanta Hawks goes up for a dunk against the San Antonio Spurs during the 2018 Utah Summer League on July 3, 2018 at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JULY 3: Omari Spellman #6 of the Atlanta Hawks goes up for a dunk against the San Antonio Spurs during the 2018 Utah Summer League on July 3, 2018 at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Atlanta Hawks completed their 3rd and final game at Utah Summer League on Thursday, and out of the four teams that competed, the Hawks were the only one to go winless.

Taking a step further, each of the three other teams involved finished with an identical 2-1 record – all enjoying victories over Atlanta.

Of course, winning games at this juncture is not the focus, as Summer League is a place to reflect, grow and learn the professional game at its lowest level. One glimpse at a few possessions in a row will show that many of these players are not quite NBA level.

At this juncture, the Hawks brass, led by GM Travis Schlenk and Head Coach Lloyd Pierce, who is coaching the team with a glint in his eye, should be looking to develop talent and gauge the skill level of the players they selected.

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We’ve outlined a few takeaways from the Hawks Utah Summer League jaunt, as well as a look ahead to the team’s debut in the much more in-depth Las Vegas Summer League on Saturday.

Omari Spellman perhaps looked the best of any Hawks rookie, as he put up some all-around impressive numbers and was productive in multiple facets of the game. Spellman finished the three games with per-game averages of 10 points, 7.7. rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks.

Those rebounding, blocks and steals numbers were all good enough to rank 4th among all players who participated in Utah Summer League in each category – showcasing that Spellman might indeed serve as the Draymond Green role if the Hawks are trying to become the Warriors of the East down the road.

In that same vein, when his point guard Trae Young got into a scuffle with vaunted instigator Grayson Allen, Spellman jumped into action and looked ready to start laying dudes out. Honestly, it was nice too see a young Hawks player look ready to throw down to protect his teammate – it shows he cares.

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