Atlanta Hawks: The Skyhawks were the Sharife Cooper and DaQuan Jeffries show
The Atlanta Hawks G-League affiliate the College Park Skyhawks put on a really good show against the Maine Celtics who were studded with fringe NBA talent. They had Theo Pinson, Luke Kornet, Juwan Morgan, Ryan Arcidiacono, and Chris Clemons in their lineup.
However, it was the performance of Sam Hauser, the Boston Celtics two-way player which ended up burying the Skyhawks, 103-116. He had 27 points on 6-of-11 shooting from behind the 3-point line. Despite the final winning margin, the Skyhawks were right in it deep into the final period.
Sharife Cooper played really well in the first half, going 5-of-11 from the floor, heading into halftime with 15 points. However, it was DaQuan Jeffries who was the most efficient, going an incredible 5-of-6.
The Atlanta Hawks can garner hope from this performance.
Cooper was impressive, ending the game with 22 points to go along with five assists. However, he was not very efficient, going 8-of-22 from the floor. He also had some poor plays down the stretch which cost the Skyhawks but he will learn from them.
The standout performer was DaQuan Jeffries who was on fire. He scored 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting and was crucial in helping the third-quarter comeback. If he continues to play like this then Skylar Mays‘ two-way deal may be in question.
There is still plenty of upside for this team though. Cooper will be able to improve his efficiency as well as cutting down on his fouls and his four turnovers. On top of that Mays will put in a better effort than 11 points on 4-of-16 shooting.
Next. John Collins needs to use Wizards game as career template. dark
However, the biggest growth potential for the Skyhawks is through Jalen Johnson. The rookie has struggled to get minutes despite the Hawks’ poor start and he was only able to score six points on 3-of-12 shooting. He was able to collect 10 rebounds in a good effort to help the team despite his shot not falling.