The Atlanta Hawks finished their preseason on Friday with a resounding win against the Miami Heat. It came against mostly reserve but also brought their preseason record to 2-2. The Hawks looked good in the victory but, more importantly, they came out of with suffering no new injuries or setbacks.
Several players were waived in the aftermath. After A.J. Lawson and Jahlil Okafor were waived a few days earlier, Johnny Hamilton, DaQuan Jefferies, and Ibi Watson were all turned loose at the conclusion of the exhibition period.
None was really a surprise.
The one player who survived — Atlanta has 14 guaranteed contracts, leaving them with one open roster spot — is Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot.
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That Luwawu-Cabarot survived the cutdown is more surprising than any of the actual cuts. Lawson “averaged” 8.0 points per game but only played in one. The rest all averaged three points or fewer with only Luwawu-Cabarrot and Hamilton appearing in all four contests during the preseason.
The French wing averaged 2.0 points, shot 25.0 percent from the floor, 20.0 percent from three, and added 1.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in a little over 12 minutes per game.
He averaged points, 2.2 boards, and 1.2 assists in the regular season for the Brooklyn Nets before being relegated to mop-up duty in the playoffs. For his career, the 6-foot-6 wing is averaging 6.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, and just under an assist per game.
Luwawu-Cabarrot had a career year for the Nets two seasons ago, averaging 7.8 points and 2.7 boards while knocking down 38.8 percent of his triples.
He also boasts a 7-foot-2 wingspan and has a good motor.
However, a lengthy wing with spotty offense wasn’t at the top of anyone’s “needs” checklist for this team. It would be pretty far down, actually, with wing depth being the clear strength of this roster. And players like Cam Reddish and Jalen Johnson would seem to profile similarly.
The Hawks are also healthier heading into this season than last. So whatever insurance Luwawu-Cabarrot might provide would strictly be under emergency circumstances.
It is certainly a surprise, to say the least. But management has been on top of things so far so they deserve the benefit of the doubt. And, for what it’s worth, Luwawu-Cabarrot’s deal is non-guaranteed. They can always pivot if they so choose.