Three things we learned from Atlanta Hawks open practice
![John Collins, Atlanta Hawks. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports John Collins, Atlanta Hawks. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/9d3015e5c64d75598b0ecd775f21ae8b006eb9f749b81c6af72615e2ad33f758.jpg)
1) There are no surprises in terms of the expected starters.
During the scrimmage at open practice, Nate McMillan set his team into two squads which consisted of Team Grey/Red and Team Black. Here’s how they lined up:
- Team Grey/Red: Trae Young, Aaron Holiday, Deandre Hunter, John Collins, Clint Capela, Jarrett Culver, Chris Silva
- Team Black: Tyson “Ty Ty” Etienne, Tyrese Martin, Justin Holiday, Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, Armoni Brooks, Malik Ellison, Frank Kaminsky
As many would expect, Team Grey/Red contained four of the consensus opening-day starters for the Hawks. Star guard Dejounte Murray would have likely featured on Team Grey/Red over Aaron Holiday, but coach McMillan confirmed in an interview at the practice that Murray is battling a “non-COVID illness.”
According to Brad Rowland, host of the “Locked on Hawks” podcast, Team Grey/Red won big, outscoring the bench squad by 27 points.
If there were any doubts about who might headline the first starting five of the rotation, tonight was a significant step in putting that to rest.