Soaring Down South
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Atlanta Hawks’ shooting woes leads to loss vs. Charlotte Hornets

By Andrew Graham

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 25: Terry Rozier #3 of the Charlotte Hornets defends Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks as he goes to the basket during the first half of a basketball game at Spectrum Center on October 25, 2023 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 25: Terry Rozier #3 of the Charlotte Hornets defends Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks as he goes to the basket during the first half of a basketball game at Spectrum Center on October 25, 2023 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Hawks basketball is back as the Hawks faced the Charlotte Hornets on the road in the season’s first game. Unfortunately, the game did not go the Hawks’ way as they fell 116-110 to fall to 0-1 on the season.

There were some positive and negative things to take away from this game, but it’s important to remember that it’s the first game of the season and there are a lot of opportunities to get better moving forward.

Positives:

  • Good activity on defense
  • Jalen Johnson
  • Saddiq Bey
  • Free Throw Shooting
  • Limiting Turnovers

The Hawks did a lot of good things despite the loss. Most notably, Jalen Johnson shined off the bench. In 29 minutes, Johnson had 21 points and 7 rebounds and did a great job running in transition. Johnson wasn’t the only one who impressed, however, Saddiq Bey gave Atlanta great minutes at the 4 tonight. It is worth noting that Johnson and Bey both played 29 minutes vs the Hornets.

It will be interesting to see how head coach Quin Snyder plays both of them moving forward.

Atlanta also did a great job moving the ball and limiting turnovers. The Hawks had just 12 turnovers to the Hornets 19. Atlanta also did a great job at the free-throw line shooting 82%. Although the Hornets started making more shots in the second half, the activity on defense is a positive to look for going forward.

Atlanta Hawks had several things to work on after loss vs. Charlotte Hornets

Negatives:

  • Trae Young and Dejounte Murray struggle
  • 3PT shooting
  • Onyeka Okongwu foul trouble

It wasn’t the start Trae Young or Dejuonte Murray were looking to get off too. Although they combined for 15 assists, they did not shoot the ball well from the field or three. They combined to shoot 7/33 and 1/12 from three. Simply an abysmal shooting night for the duo. Speaking of three-point shooting, it did not go the Hawks’ way tonight. The Hawks shot 17% from downtown as a team and it’s hard to win games shooting that poorly.

In fairness, the Hornets also struggled to shoot the three-ball, but not nearly as badly as the Hawks did. A common theme also showed up in the contest as Onyeka Okongwu got himself into foul trouble. While he did some great things tonight, it’s hard to get consistent minutes if you’re getting into foul trouble. Because of the foul trouble, Okongwu was limited to just 19 minutes where he scored 7 points on 3/5 shooting from the field.

A big thing to monitor going forward is how Snyder uses AJ Griffin. Despite only having one foul, Griffin only played 10 minutes. His lone bucket was a nice highlight. But it will be interesting to see how his minutes are utilized in future games.

Next. 3 Most underpaid players on Hawks' roster this season. dark

Hawks fans will also have to wait for the debut of rookie Kobe Bufkin. The Hawks’ first-round pick did not see the floor in the first game of the season.

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