Atlanta Hawks: 1 improvement for each draft pick after Game 3

The Atlanta Hawks fell to the Philadelphia 76ers 96-88 on Thursday bringing their Summer League record to 1-2. It was probably their most exciting game of the summer, as Philly got hot from downtown in the second half. Atlanta fell despite getting 20 points from Skylar Mays, who was second on the Hawks in scoring.

48th-overall pick Sharife Cooper led Hawks scorers with 21 points. He also had 12 assists and a lone rebound. Jalen Johnson, the 20th-overall pick, finished with 13 points and 11 boards for his third double-double in as many tries. He chipped in two assists and a block too.

DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell continued to be a nice story with another 12 points and five rebounds.

The Atlanta Hawks draft picks have been great this summer but still have plenty to work on

They started off well enough, jumping out to a 23-14 lead after the first quarter. Atlanta would be outscored 61-45 the rest of the way. That includes getting blasted 10-2 in two minutes of overtime play. The Hawks will try to bounce back when they take on the undefeated Miami Heat on Saturday.

Back to this game, we’ve all spent a lot of time heaping praise on the performances of Johnson and Cooper and we’ve tried to highlight the progress of Mays.

But this game likely gave Nate McMillan all of the teaching tape he needs ahead of the next game. Cooper and Johnson both had moments in the fourth quarter they surely would like to have back. And while Mays played well, that in and of itself presents where he needs work.

The loss is actually the least of the concerns as the 76ers were led by Tyrese Maxey (31/6/5) who saw decent floor time in the postseason.