Atlanta Hawks second round pick fails to impress so far in Summer League

The Atlanta Hawks lost their first summer league game against the Utah Jazz. they were missing their first-round pick AJ Griffin who had to sit out with injury. He was held out of practice again the next day as a precautionary move per Lauren Williams of the AJC.

This should have allowed other players to step up, proving their value to the team. However, with the exception of Justin Tillman who was used from the bench, there was little else to write home about. After all, this was their first game together as a unit, and as a result, they did struggle against the Jazz team who had played in the Salt Lake City Summer League.

So why is it that I single one player out of the group? Well, the Hawks have already signed their first-round pick but they have not yet put pen to paper for their second-round pick, Tyrese Martin. This is not going to change if Martin continues to play the way he did in the first game.

The Atlanta Hawks may have to look further afield to fill out their roster.

The forward played 22 minutes as a starter but was certainly less than effective. He was 1-of-4 from the 3-point line which saw him finish with 1-of-11 from the floor. He went to the free-throw line six times, making only two of them. It may have been nerves but this sort of shooting is going to see him buried deep in the bench of Summer League if it continues.

Martin would finish with a stat line of five points, three assists, two rebounds, two steals, and a block. While these all-around numbers show that he can impact a game in many aspects but as it is only Summer League, he would need to show more to warrant a roster spot.

He should start again in the next game against the New Orleans Pelicans but if he puts the same level of performance in, expect someone else to get the roster spot.