On Wednesday, September 28th, the Atlanta Hawks held an open practice at State Farm Arena in front of a crowd that, according to the AJC, was 7,000 fans strong. Starting from 6:00 p.m., fans were allowed admission into the arena for five dollars to see head coach Nate McMillan and the Hawks’ brand new roster practice live.
With the Hawks flying out to Abu Dhabi to face the Milwaukee Bucks for two of their four preseason games, they are left without a home game until the opening match of the regular season. Thus, hosting a live practice for the fans to attend and get acquainted with the new roster was a nice touch from the organization. All proceeds from the practice went to the Atlanta Hawks Foundation.
In the open practice, Hawks assistant coach Mike Longabardi ran the team through drills followed by a scrimmage between the starters and the second unit. It was later announced that the Hawks had also practiced at Emory Sports Medicine Complex facility earlier in the day.
Atlanta Hawks CEO Steve Koonin expressed his excitement for the live practice when he spoke to the media.
“The buzz surrounding the Hawks this offseason has been amazing, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome fans back to the award-winning State Farm Arena,” Koonin said before the event.
What information was revealed during the scrimmage for the Atlanta Hawks?
From a fan standpoint, it’s fairly difficult to understand exactly where the Atlanta Hawks might be positioned in terms of injuries, expected starters, and overall readiness for the regular season. However, this open practice was eye-opening in regard to many of these questions. Let’s take a look at three things we learned.