Atlanta Hawks: 1 stud and 1 dud from easy win over Pistons

Atlanta Hawks dud from big win over the Pistons: Clint Capela had the rare off night

Young, Collins and Clint Capela were the double-double trio. While Collins dropped 22 points to keep that portion of his intact, his seven rebounds dropped him to 9.3 per game on the season. Still, it is hard to penalize him too much when, aside from Young, he was easily the most impactful player on the floor.

For Capela, it was a night to forget.

The 2021 rebounding champ managed a respectable eight boards but had seven at halftime. He only had four points setting a new low in a Hawks uniform.

What makes it worse is it’s not like he was inefficient, going 2-for-3 from the floor. Nor was he incapable of staying on the floor with just one personal foul in over 25 minutes. The minutes were fourth-most on the team behind  Huerter, Reddish, and Young.

He did have two steals and a block.

Perhaps most frustrating is that he did not attempt a free throw. Some of that is on him while — the Hawks won the free-throw attempt battle 21-18. It is just hard to imagine a player as physical as he is not drawing a single whistle while playing the majority of the game. Especially one in which the Hawks had their way.

Capela had just seven games all of last season with fewer than 10 boards and 13 with fewer than 10 points. So he is a safe bet to bounce back when the Hawks take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.

He averaged 13 points and 11 rebounds in two games against them last season. Thankfully, this dud came in a game that the Hawks won handily.