The Atlanta Hawks are set to take on the Memphis Grizzlies in their final two preseason matchups; here are 3 challenges the young team present for the Hawks.
After splitting two games with the Orlando Magic, the Atlanta Hawks will be in Memphis for a few days, taking on the Grizzlies in their final two preseason games. The first of which takes place tonight and Hawks fans should be excited to see their new squad against Ja Morant and a Grizzlies team that absolutely clobbered the Hawks in their two meetings last season.
The Hawks should be feeling good coming off of a 116-107 win over the Magic in which they shot the ball really well, 42.7% from the field and 39.5% from the three-point line. They certainly are hoping to ride some of that momentum into Memphis this weekend.
The Grizzlies are a much more formidable opponent than the Magic and ought to be a good early preseason test for this new Hawks roster. The first matchup for these two teams last year ended in a 127-88 win for the Grizzlies while the second brought the same result in a 118-101 Memphis win. After being invited to the NBA ‘bubble” the Grizz finished with a 34-39 record and barely missed the playoffs after losing to Damian Lillard and the Portland Trailblazers in their play-in game.
While the Grizzlies don’t have a terribly new roster from last season, the Hawks have a completely new identity and a ton of new pieces that will make them much more competitive this season. Let’s take a look at three challenges that the Memphis Grizzlies present for the Atlanta Hawks.
The Atlanta Hawks will need to prevent points in the paint against the Grizzlies
In the Atlanta Hawks’ two upcoming matchups with the Memphis Grizzlies, points in the paint will most definitely be a stat to keep an eye on. The Grizzlies led the NBA last season with 55.9 points in the paint per game while the Hawks were dead last in that category league defensively, giving up 53.6 points in the paint per game.
While the Hawks won’t have to worry about Georgia native Jae Crowder, who has moved on to play with Chris Paul and Devin Booker in Phonenix, Jonas Valanciunas is still on the Grizzlies’ roster and will surely be a handful to deal with. The big man went 10 for 13 from the field for 27 points in the teams’ second matchup last season and while John Collins netted the same number of points, the Hawks had absolutely no answer for Valanciunas.
Moves were made by the Atlanta Hawks’ front office this offseason to combat and correct their defensive struggles. While Clint Capela was on the Hawks’ roster last year, he didn’t see any action on the floor due to injuries. He and John Collins should help Atlanta see a vast improvement in the paint both offensively and defensively, and with Danilo Gallinari coming off of the bench with size and shooting, Hawks fans should be intrigued by the post matchups of the next two games.
A new addition to the Hawks’ roster, Solomon Hill was a member of the Memphis Grizzlies last season when these two teams faced off. We got to see Hill in action in the NBA bubble with the Miami Heat as he did a lot to bolster their paint presence as a bruiser against the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers. The Atlanta Hawks grabbed Hill this offseason in hopes that he can play the same sort of role in their new-look defense this season.
If the Hawks are able to secure the paint, they’ll have a much better chance of hanging with the Grizzlies this time around.
The Atlanta Hawks will need to slow down the shooting of the Memphis Grizzlies
The Atlanta Hawks gave up an average of 122 points to the Memphis Grizzlies in their two matchups last season and when the name of the game is to score more points than your opponent, giving up such a high number is simply not good. In those matchups, Memphis shot 50% and 49.4% from the field, giving Atlanta nightmares on the offensive end. To add insult to injury for the Hawks, the Grizzlies also shot 43.8% from the three-point line in their first matchup. Sheesh.
Against the Hawks, Memphis saw their shooting averages rise significantly against the Hawks, mostly because Atlanta was flat out abysmal on defense. Again, management sought to adjust this offseason bringing in the likes of Kris Dunn, who won’t play in either of the upcoming games against Memphis, and giving more minutes to Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter who have both stated that their main goals for this season are to drastically improve defensively.
Reddish and Hunter will have to assist Trae Young when they share the floor with him, making up for his lack of defense and size. The Atlanta wings will have their hands full with guys like Dillon Brooks, Grayson Allen, and new Memphis addition De’Anthony Melton. Each of these guys should be looking to make statements about their games early in the season in hopes of securing playing time on their respective squads.
The key for the Hawks, not only in their matchups with Memphis but for the season, will be figuring out their wing rotation and which combinations of players work well together. A tall task for head coach Lloyd Pierce but the Hawks’ depth is certainly a good problem to have.
The Atlanta Hawks will have to contain Ja Morant in their matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies
It’s no secret that the Atlanta Hawks, and any other team that faces the Memphis Grizzlies really, will have Ja Morant’s name circled on their scouting reports. The NBA Rookie of the Year averaged 17.8 points per game last season on .477/.335/.776 shooting splits.
While he’s not the biggest threat from beyond the arc, Morant went 4 for 4 from three in one of his matchups against the Hawks last year. He went 8 for 12 and 6 for 10 from the field in the two games, feasting on the Hawk’s poor defense both in the paint and on the perimeter. Being matched up with one of the worst defenders in the league statistically in Trae Young, Ja Morant got to the bucket with ease against the Hawks and will surely attempt to do it again this week.
The battle of the two young point guards will be one to watch as both Trae Young and Morant can fill it up when they get going. Young is a more prolific scorer than Morant but is smaller and slower than the explosive Memphis point guard. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of looks Lloyd Pierce throws at Morant defensively in hopes of getting the ball out of his hand and forcing the Memphis wings to create their own shots.
The Hawks and Grizzlies tip-off for the first time tonight at 8:00 pm from the FedEx Forum in Memphis.