Atlanta Hawks: 4 takeaways from the Summer League opener

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 29: Jalen Johnson walks across the stage during the 2021 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on July 29, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 29: Jalen Johnson walks across the stage during the 2021 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on July 29, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
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Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

Atlanta Hawks Summer League takeaway No. 2: Skylar Mays was a mixed bag in his first Vegas action

There was no Summer League last season thanks to COVID so this was the first time going through the festivities for second-year guard Skylar Mays. The 6-foot-4 guard out of LSU was the 50th-overall pick last season and found himself playing meaningful minutes for a team that wound up two wins away from the NBA Finals.

Mays saw most of his time before Nate McMillan took over, but it was more because injuries made him a necessity more than the coaching change.

Still, he made a good enough impression to get tendered a qualifying offer before free agency.

Mays averaged just 3.8 points and 1.0 rebounds in 8.2 minutes per game, appearing in 33 contests during the regular season. He did put up 20 points in a loss to the Spurs that saw him go 7-for-10 from the floor and 4-for-5 from beyond the arc.

The kid can score.

https://twitter.com/ATLHawks/status/1424474019286249476

He, understandably wasn’t a big factor in the postseason, playing in only seven games and seeing more than three full minutes in just one which was a blowout loss.

Still, it was a little troubling to see him so inefficient shooting the ball in this one. He shot just 36.4 percent from the floor a 16.7 percent from deep.

He also had just one rebound and steal apiece; hardly enough to offset his two turnovers and three personal fouls.

Of course, no one was exactly great shooting the ball from distance in this one, though late threes from Boston is what won them the game. And we’ve seen Mays do big things on a bigger stage. He’s also transitioning after it seemed he might have a shot to be the backup point guard

We won’t hold this game against him.