It is a 1-0 start for the Atlanta Hawks as they took out the Dallas Mavericks 113-87 in the season opener on the road. It featured a lot of points from most of the Hawks heavy hitters. Trae Young and Clint Capela both had double-doubles. John Collins fell just one rebound shy of his own double-double but was solid from start to finish.
De’Andre Hunter put on a strong defensive performance against Luka Doncic.
What we did not get to see were veterans Danilo Gallinari and Lou Williams. The duo sat out due to soreness.
One player that certainly picked right back up where he left off from the Hawks appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals was Cam Reddish. The third-year wing wound up leading the team in scoring on the night coming off of the bench.
Atlanta Hawks wing Cam Reddish puts up line similar to ECF Game 6 in season opener
Reddish was aggressive from the very beginning of this one, taking five shots in five minutes as the second sub of the game for Atlanta. He would only hit one of them but did manage to get to the free-throw line for pair of attempts that he knocked down. His shot selection was a little off-putting but that would not last.
The former Duke Blue Devil went 3-for-3 from the floor in the second quarter, hitting one three and one free throw.
At one point Reddish had scored eight points in 10 minutes of play.
20 points & counting... pic.twitter.com/n1aIbmgs1P
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) October 22, 2021
He played fewer than three minutes in the third quarter before playing over eight minutes in the fourth quarter where he scored his final six points of the night. In total, Reddish had 20 points on 47.5 percent shooting, three rebounds, one assist, and one steal. He canned 3-of-4 triples.
In that Eastern Conference Finals Game 6, Reddish had a very similar 21 points. But he did so on 58.3 percent shooting and while going 6-for-7 from outside.
It was one of many great starts for the Hawks. But Reddish stands to gain more than most with strong outings such as this. His issue has never been about his talent level. But he hasn’t been consistent or even healthy enough to get there so far in his young career. Even in this game, he started shaky before settling in.
He’s also in a similar contractual situation as draft-mate De’Andre Hunter.
We’ll have to see how he comes out against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday. But this is the kind of start he and the Hawks hoped for.