The Atlanta Hawks win against the Timberwolves on MLK Day – Grades

Best Atlanta Hawks reserve performance:

This was the worst game played by Solomon Hill in a Hawks uniform. Had three turnovers in 16 minutes of game time while missing his only two shots. He had a minus 10 impact on the box score. However, it was the manner in which he turned it over, making almost rookie mistakes that a veteran should not make. Will lose his minutes when Danilo Gallinari comes back.

Brandon Goodwin showed tremendous growth from the first period to the second period, such is his learning curve this season. In the first period, he drove to the hoop and got his shot blocked as he gave himself no outlet. He drove in from the wing in the second period, got challenged, recognized that he could get blocked so put it high off the glass. He saw that Capela was lurking and gave the big man a good chance to score, which he did. For the rest of the game, when Young was on the bench with his foul trouble, Goodwin ran the team effectively

Rajon Rondo had minimal impact on this game. Missed both his shots but was able to collect two rebounds and give out two assists in just eight minutes on the court. However, what he did do was organize the team so that they were able to maximize their output. After that, Coach Pierce preferred Goodwin to run the team.

This was a true Tony Snell game. The wing was impactful for the 13 minutes he played in the game. He entered the fray late in the first quarter and made two huge plays which equated to a five-point swing. The Hawks turned the ball over and the Timberwolves were out in transition. Snell sprinted down the court and was near the offensive player, impacting the shot. He then was in the corner on the next play, hitting the 3-ball. Then he came out in the second period and looked good on his second 3-point attempt. Scored six of the eight bench points on the night

In closing:

The Hawks needed to win this game tonight and despite the 25 turnovers they were too strong for the Timberwolves. Young is starting to play more like his All-Star level and the team is starting to move more on offense without the ball which is going to help him out.

The team is also starting to switch on defensively with every player trying to read the next pass and get into the passing lane. They will be so much stronger when they get Cam Reddish and Danilo Gallinari back.