Handing out grades to the Atlanta Hawks for the month of December.
After winning just two games in November, the Atlanta Hawks were eager to move into December, obviously hoping to win more games.
They won three.
Even after winning two of their first three, Atlanta lost their next ten, finishing with a 3-11 record for the month. They finished the 2019 calendar year with a 7-27 record on the season.
The Hawks looked slightly better in some parts in December than November, but this ten game losing streak was even worse looking than the one they went on in the month prior.
Here we’ll be handing out some player grades for everyone who suiting up throughout the month.
Trae Young: A-
Trae didn’t improve in any major ways this month, instead staying consistent with his prior play. Luckily, his prior game was pretty dang good.
He averaged 28.6 points per game, right on pace with his 28.5 average for the season. His December numbers in the assists and rebounds categories are also both right on with his season averages.
Young went on a offensive tear from the 15th to the 27th, scoring 30 or more in five straight games, going off for 47 and 42 on two of those nights. More indicative of the team than Trae however, the Hawks went 0-5 in those games.
Young rolled his ankle in what became his final game of the month, missing the final two games with that injury.
He was easily the Hawks’ MVP in December, as he has been all season. And while it was a very good month, the young guard will likely have even better months to come.
John Collins: B
Collins was tasked with jumping right into a big minutes role after 25 games with a league suspension.
The third year forward returned without missing a beat, jumping back into with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks on the 23rd against the Cavs.
He went up-and-down after that, scoring 9, 34 and 10 in the final three games.
Collins has returned looking better than ever on the boards, averaging 11.3 a game, including a 16-rebound night against the Bucks.
If nothing else, it looks like Collins has shaken off the dust and should be looking forward to a great January, his first full month on the season.
Kevin Huerter: C-
It was a disappointing month for Huerter, part of what’s beginning to look like a disappointing season for the guard.
Huerter, who played great as a rookie a season ago, has looked timid in some spots this season, and just bad in others.
The former 19th overall pick scored 10.2 points per game on a dispiriting 32% from three, dropping off from but his 38% number from a season ago, and his 35% from this season on the whole.
The Hawks have an extremely young roster with few who been on the team for longer than one year.
It would have been nice for Huerter to break out during the Hawks’ ten game streak, but he failed to. He scored 10 or less points in his first six contests of the month.
He ended the month with his best game, stepping up with 19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks in the team’s win over Orlando.
Hopefully that’s a sign of more to come rather than a season outlier.