Atlanta Hawks: Four Most Intriguing Matchups Left On Schedule

Looking at fun matchups between members of the Atlanta Hawks and their opponents.

With nearly as many young stars as wins, the Atlanta Hawks are incredibly fun to watch despite their poor record. While they’re nowhere near the playoffs, the Hawks will still be worth watching based on their talent alone.

What will make them especially fun to watch is when their future stars face off against other future and current stars. There are a few key matchups to circle on your calendar, which we’ll be looking at here.

Let’s jump right into them:

1. Trae Young vs. Ja Morant

The first matchup between these two was a bit of a disappointment, and with the Grizzlies beating Atlanta by 39 points, neither team needing their young stars to do too much.

The two point guards are among the league’s brightest players, although they do have contrasting play styles. The rookie Ja Morant is a incredibly athletic slasher who isn’t afraid to dunk on anyone. Young obviously has his deep three and lethal floater, among the league’s best in dishing dimes as well.

Both have great handles and overall feel on offense, and it’s easy to imagine them swapping buckets early and often.

Trae Young will be questionable with flu-like symptoms after missing the prior game, but should be ready to roll. Even if Trae does have to miss, the two young scorers will likely have many entertaining showdowns in the future, but this one would still be a fun prologue to future ones.

Matchup date: Saturday, March 7th

Cam Reddish vs. Collin Sexton

Rookie Cam Reddish and sophomore Collin Sexton have had a fantastic second half of their season, after a less than convincing start.

Sexton has averaged over 23 points per game for the Cavs since January 1st. In that time both have been shooting great from three, with Sexton making 46 percent of his 5.1 attempts per game, Reddish making 41 percent of his 4.9

The 21-year-old Sexton has already had two standout performances against the Hawks this year, scoring 25 and 23 in there previous two meetings. He’s coming off a career high 41 points against the Celtics. Reddish is also fresh off his career high of 28 points, which he got in just 28 minutes against the Wizards.

Reddish is working as the Hawks’ sixth man at the moment, although he’s basically getting starter-level minutes. He’s provided great perimeter defense as a rookie, especially of late, and will certainly be a strength vs. strength matchup when he covers Sexton.

Apart from the intriguing battle between Reddish and Sexton, the Cavs and Hawks will also be playing for draft positioning. They currently own the worst two record in the Eastern Conference, and a loss could swing lottery odds.

Matchup date: Saturday, March 14th

John Collins vs. Zion Williamson (twice)

Even with just playing a handful of games so far, Zion Williamson has been as advertised. He’s an explosive, huge, athletic freak that is putting up incredible splits for anyone — let alone a rookie.

John Collins has also had a fantastic year, and has been playing like a genuine All-Star since returning from suspension. The Hawks play the Pelis twice in their final 18 games, and the matchup between Collins and Zion will be all the hype.

Not only will the two be covering each other, they’ll be the most athletic players on the court. Both live above the rim, and know how to slam it down with authority.

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With these two on the court together, any possession could turn into an impromptu dunk contest. Impressively, both forwards can stretch the floor as well with an effective three, making hem so hard to cover.

Matchup date(s): Monday, March 16th & Tuesday, March 31st.

Trae Young vs. Steph Curry

Despite multiple times that he’s modeled his game around Steve Nash‘s, Trae Young is still constantly compared to Steph Curry.

In fairness, Trae is one of the few players to enter the league since Curry to have such a prowess from deep and an elite passing touch, and they do play similar styles of ball. They both create their own threes, and aren’t too shabby in the lane either.

If Zion vs. Collins was a dunk contest, this one is a three-point contest, and I’d love to see the two quick triggers could back to back in a contest. A broken hand held Curry out of his first matchup with Trae this season, but should be back and fully rust-less by the time this one takes place.

Both of their meetings last year was early in Trae’s rookie year, where he was still shaking off a rough start, and he scored just four in their first one.

The two have more than likely heard the comparisons, and could be looking to out-duel each other given their respective competitiveness. It should make for some first-class entertainment.

Matchup date: Wednesday, March 25th