Atlanta Hawks: 3 Takeaways from 108-94 Loss vs. Hornets

Read on to imbibe 3 takeaways to the Atlanta Hawks defeat at the hands of the Charlotte Hornets by a final score of 108 to 94.

The Atlanta Hawks two-game winning streak came to an end on the second night of a back-to-back in Charlotte, falling 108-94. The game was much closer than the final score shows, especially in the first half.

Lloyd Pierce tried out his new starting lineup once again that moves Kevin Huerter to the starting shooting guard and brings Kent Bazemore off the bench. The lineup change seems to have given the team a much-needed spark and has brought what looks like more of a rhythm to the starting rotation plus adds a capable ball handler/scorer to the bench.

Here are a couple takeaways from the 14-point loss in Charlotte tonight.

Kevin Huerter On The Rise

Kevin Huerter (aka The “Red Mamba” or The Big Huert) seems to have found comfort in the starting shooting guard role for the Hawks and looks like he is not ready to let his opportunity slip away anytime soon. Regardless of the numbers that he is putting up, throughout the game, he stands out.

Huerter finished tonight with 12 points on 4 of 9 from the field, all 4 shots were made from behind the arc. He was all over the place also pulling down 5 rebounds and dishing out 4 assists. His jumper is going to be magnificent.

Huerter looks like he is starting to hit his stride as he has seen his minutes and opportunities continue to grow. He looks like he could be a huge asset for the Atlanta Hawks going forward, and there is a lot more to come from him as this season moves forward.

Justin Anderson, Bench Sparkplug

We don’t really know what Justin Anderson‘s role is yet on this Hawks team, but personally I believe that he should be able to carve out some more playing time after what we saw from him tonight.

His numbers were good tonight, but they don’t do justice to the energy and intensity he brings to the floor. In 17 minutes tonight he scored 10 points, pulled down 8 rebounds, logged 1 assist, and took away 1 steal. HE WAS EVERYWHERE.

Anderson should have earned himself more consistent minutes tonight. His role could grow if the Hawks can find a trade partner for Bazemore, which seems likely after his move to bench. The Atlanta Hawks seem determined to have their young core playing big minutes together.

What’s Next for Kent Bazemore?

Kent Bazemore has rightfully so been a fan favorite for the Atlanta Hawks for what seems like an eternity now, but has his time in Atlanta almost come to an end or was it really just a lineup shift?

Maybe the Hawks are showing contending teams what Baze is capable of doing off the bench to increase their interest in him. Maybe Pierce just wanted to get Huerter more playing time with the rest of the young guys.

There are a ton of possible scenarios here, but one thing is for sure. It is time for the Hawks to move on from Kent Bazemore and it is time for him to move on from the Hawks. There are a bunch of teams that would love to add his skill set to deepen their roster in an attempt to make a playoff run and the Hawks just have too much young talent they need to develop to be giving 30 minutes a night to Kent Bazemore.

No disrespect to Baze at all, he just doesn’t seem to fit in with the direction the team is going. This will all sort itself out soon as we move forward with the season.