Atlanta Hawks: 5 Takeaways From A Close Loss to LA Clippers

Rookies All Played Well

In fact, all three of the Atlanta Hawks rookies played well on this night with Kevin Huerter scoring 8 loud points (2 threes, 1 dunk) in 13 minutes of action, and providing the best box plus/minus number of any Hawks player on this night (+9).

Huerter looked more decisive in this one, and his outside stroke looked sharp off the dribble, which is always a good sign for The Big Huert:

https://twitter.com/ATLHawks/status/1064685714804097024

Huerter has long been underrated from this rookie class, even though many teams coveted him in the mid-to-late first round in June’s NBA Draft.

Omari Spellman also looked strong in this one as the starting power forward – hitting a three and scoring 7 points in 14 minutes before having to leave the game with a hip contusion. Spellman, too, finished as a +2 in this game for the Hawks.

Spellman continues to be a pogo stick for the Hawks, especially in the absence of John Collins, but with Collins returning into the fold slowly but surely, Spellman’s minutes might drop a bit as the season goes on.