Atlanta Hawks: Studs and duds from narrow win over NO

Atlanta Hawks dud from narrow win over Pels: The Hawks bench was largely M.I.A. against NO

It is impossible to narrow down just one player who was a disappointment in this one. It is easier to exclude those who deserve to be. To that end, Collins and Young obviously make the cut. As do Hunter (13 points, 50 percent shooting, lockdown defense in the clutch), and Bogdan Bogdanovic (12 points).

Capela completes the sweep of the starters. His lean stat line belies the impact he had in frustrating Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas.

You know where this is going.

The Hawks bench entered play on Wednesday seventh in points per game. Their depth is a big strength and part of the attack. They simply come at you with waves of talented players. But talent only helps you when it is realized and that was not the case versus New Orleans.

Down Lou Williams, Atlanta’s reserves totaled 25 points, thanks in large part to Danilo Gallinari — who had nine points and seven rebounds in his season debut — and Delon Wright.

They shot 28.5 percent from the floor as a unit.

The burden of expectation falls mostly on the shoulders of Kevin Huerter who just signed a four-year, $65 million deal just before the season started. He came into the game averaging career-lows nearly across the board. He is, oddly, shooting a career-high 53.3 percent on two-pointers and hit both of his only two free throws of the season against Detroit.

Huerter had just two points on 12.5 percent shooting and missed all five of his triples against the Pels. He is now averaging 6.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.3  assists while shooting just 33.3 percent overall and 13.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Cam Reddish also cooled off from his torrid start, finishing with just five points on 1-of-5 shooting from the floor. But, he too reached a milestone, collecting his 100th career steal in just his 88th game.