The Good
De’Andre Hunter
The #4 overall pick continues to look rock-solid in his first professional preseason. De’Andre Hunter notched 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block in 24 minutes, and his defense continues to be about as fundamentally sound as you could ask for. Hunter even showcased some off-the-dribble acumen and passing chops in this game, which was nice to see.
Jabari Parker
Jabari Parker easily had his best game as a member of the Atlanta Hawks, notching 11 points, 9 rebounds and a +9 in on/off rating while also providing some surprisingly sound defense in his new role as a clear big man. Though Parker was classified as a big last season, it was not clear that he was one until he weighed in this season as the Atlanta Hawks’ third-heaviest player (which is crazy). Parker still has that nascent offensive creation ability, so improvement on defense would surely help the team in general.
Trae Young
As usual, Ice Trae was brilliant, producing multiple highlights and leading the team with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Trae was draining triples, firing off bonkers passes all over the court to various teammates and even played some of the best defense of his career.
However, he also produced some not-so-striking numbers, such as…