Who are the Atlanta Hawks “other’ guys?

Who are the Atlanta Hawks “other’ guys?

What’s going on, guys? It’s Caleb Johnson here with you. Atlanta basketball with Caleb Johnson. Uh, another episode coming to you at an interesting time in the preeason where yes, these still don’t count, but there’s a lot of things that we can certainly take away from what the Hawks have done in the last few days. Of course, I talked to you guys after the uh you know, kind of this initial outing for the Hawks against the Rockets and getting this opportunity to actually play some preseason basketball. Since then, they went to Memphis to play the Grizzlies and then have gone on to uh uh to play an interesting Miami Heat team uh that certainly I don’t know, I guess I thought on paper would be better than what they came out for. Uh but how the Hawks have decided to match up against those two teams have been very different. As well as against the Grizzlies, uh a a very very beat up team right now, uh who opted in favor of of resting healthy bodies that they did have a lot of them essentially. The Hawks did throw out their starters who played some substantial minutes including into the second half. Uh, however, against the Miami Heat, we were told pregame by Quinn Snyder, yeah, you know, some of our top guys might not go in this one, uh, because of how recently we played and all those sorts of things. And then it was the top nine players for the Atlanta Hawks who did not play in that game against the Heat. And it was like, oh, okay, very different than what we expected. It was an interesting kind of just an interesting outing overall I would say because uh if you know if you weren’t familiar like the Falcons were playing across the street in a pretty big Monday Night Football game. Uh and so certainly attendance was affected by all of those sorts of things. Um, but yeah, we’re we’ll get into what we’ve seen over the last couple of preseason games for the Hawks, as well as look into what we might see with this final preseason game against the Houston Rockets. Uh, that’ll certainly uh, you know, could we actually see Kevin Durant, all of those sorts of things. Uh, we’ll get into that closer to the end of the podi. Uh, but I wanted to start off with a let let’s just touch on the subject. Let’s get it out there. Let’s discuss. Let’s not make a big deal yet of something that I do feel is noteworthy because after I talked to you guys uh was after the last time I should say was after the Houston game in which Trey Young didn’t have his best offensive performance by any stretch of the imagination but hey there was a lot of new shiny pieces for the Hawks to pay attention to and so I think there is obviously some measure of hey you’re getting new teammates involved, all of those sorts of things. So, not going to overreact to the fact that you went three for seven, two for five from three-point, and you only shot one free throw, cuz hey, it’s the first preseason game. Let’s not overreact. Let’s not make a big deal. However, against Memphis, that was certainly one where I thought, um, okay, is everything good? you know, every is everything okay? Because uh against Memphis, I think this was absolutely a reminder of who Jaylen Johnson can be because um the man only shot one three-pointer but finished with 20 points cuz he was attacking the rim at will and it felt really good to see that. However, then Trey finishes with a stat line against Memphis. Preseason, preseason, I will say it again. Preseason, uh, two for 11 from the field, 0 for8 from three-point for 11 points. Uh, and of those 11 points, seven of them were scored at the free throw line as he went seven of nine from the free throw line. So, I ask the question, is there any concern that there might be some offensive struggles to start the season from Trey Young? Um, I think the answer right now is on the like maybe side of this where I’m certainly not in a position to push any sort of panic button. It’s just like, huh? Okay. So, we’re we’re here again, right? We’re here again in a position where if Trey starts off the season slow once again, um then, you know, then there maybe there are some concerns. Obviously, there is one part of this looming over uh Trey and the team that they have all said they’ve all said the right things the team from Auntie his perspective uh from Trey’s perspective that the contract stuff is not a problem that that is not something looming over this team that they’re focused on this season that they’re you know taking it day by day all of those sorts of things have been said however it’s just a little interesting starting off the preseason season not shooting the ball particularly well cuz if there is one thing that I will never ever be concerned about when it comes to Trey Young and has has certainly looked on par through the first two games that Trey Young has played in because he didn’t play against the Heat uh has been his his passing I mean Trey’s passing skills are obviously on a different level than almost everyone else in the NBA and so to have I believe uh 16 assists through the through the two games that he’s played, you know, eight in each. Yeah, that a-ok okay with me. Uh but I do think shooting the ball and and already having some sort of struggles a bit a bit concerning to me uh and something that just worth monitoring. It is certainly worth monitoring to see if uh this is going to be a problem later on down the road. But as I mentioned, so you know, Trey plays against Memphis. Uh all the starters play against Memphis except for Nquille Alexander Walker who was out for personal reasons. Um and I I’ll be upfront with you guys when it comes to that matter getting thrown out because this has happened in the past. Clink Capella, it’s happened in the past. DeAndre Hunter. It’s happened in the past with Dako Congloo. And those are just some of the guys that come to mind right off the top of of my head. That’s just not something I’m gonna dive down. And when people go, “Oh, well, what were the personal reasons?” You know, what was the personal matters? I personal matters. You know, um if something becomes public, like I do remember that Anyako Kongu had someone close to him die and he posted about it, then okay, we’ve got some context. Clint Capella, you know, has a baby and you go, “Okay, maybe that was some of what was going on.” But just from a um, you know, a a overall perspective when that sort of thing gets thrown out there, I’m not going to try to do a whole lot of speculating. You know, I’m going to do my best to not speculate at all, quite honestly, uh, and to stay away from those sorts of things and just leave them where they are. But so for Memphis, you saw the starters outside of Nikquil Alexander Walker uh get some run and Jaylen Johnson obviously looked incredibly good. Uh however, this most recent outing against the Miami Heat. The Heat were throwing out, you know, Bam, they were throwing out Norman Pal, like they were throwing out their uh DaVon Mitchell, like a lot of their guys who are going to see heavy minutes in a uh what did I hear it called? A retoled roster for the Miami Heat. um that you know is obviously not going to have Tyler Herro probably for the start of the season unless what we heard from Dominique Wilkins on the broadcast say that he had you know spoken to some uh some some heat uh people you know with their team who believe that Tyler Herrell will be available to start the season. We’ll see how that sort of thing goes. But still starters for the Heat of all who’s healthy against uh the missing the top nine for the Hawks on their perspective and you saw an outing where the Hawks led early by like they were by 14 in this one. Now, obviously, you always throw into to hand the fact that it is preseason basketball, and so not everyone is is showing everything they want to do. Although, Houston and Eay Udoka in that first game certainly uh was showing some things, you know, right out the bat in the preseason that they want to try to do uh that how they would try to attack the Hawks. Things that caught the Hawks off guard that had them preparing for when I do think the Hawks see them again on Thursday. you might be implemented and and you know you kind of see that tit fortat how they will handle all those sorts of things. But with it being an opportunity for um you know reserves to get heavy minutes, it was interesting to see how these things would play out who is a a big-time ball handler. Uh it is also it is worth noting that Katon Wallace did play in the first half uh and then did not play in the second half. He was ruled out with an illness. When we talked to Quinn Snyder after the game, he said, “Yeah, he was sick going into the game, fought through it, uh but ultimately just by the half was unable to to go any further.” And I wonder if that somewhat played into Katon’s style of play. Uh because I’ll be upfront that I I don’t think Katon’s style of play in the game uh against the Heat was very beneficial to the Hawks as um you know two for seven from the field 0 for four from three-point like stats wise wasn’t exactly but it just felt like the ball slowed down when Katon Wallace was running the Hawks offense. Was that to do with the illness or is that just kind of his style of play depending on who’s out there? Because it’s it’s interesting in the past when we’ve seen Katon play with starters because of injuries and all those sorts of things. the ball moves a lot freer. But it feels like uh you know at least was the case against the Heat when he was playing against or when he was playing with talent on this Hawks roster of his equal level uh that you know the ball kind of stuck with Katon through a lot of this game. Uh so that was certainly something you know interesting to monitor. Then you saw Nicole Jurassic uh end up taking over a lot of some point guard minutes with Katon not being out there. And then uh a guy who was on an exhibit 10 contract, Lamont Butler, who it was it was really interesting to see the way that Quinn Snyder kind of lit up after the game talking about Lamont and talking about how how you know just um of a basketball player. You you sometimes you see coaches light up about a player and and just talk about how much of a baller he is and how you know had been with the team but kind of gets thrown into a situation and how guys handle that because sometimes guys get thrown into a situation and you see the deer in the headlight. You see the oh this moment is a little bit too big for them. But I do think the way that Lamont Butler h handled the situation last night playing 37 minutes because yes, overtime was involved. We’ll get into that in a bit. Um, but I I do think, you know, shooting wise necessarily wasn’t Lamont’s best night is I think he went 5 for 15 uh from the field, but did a good job at the free throw line. Uh, and did a good job I just think like distributing the basketball quite honestly um for the Hawks as they were playing a lot of reserves. Uh, I think of the uh overall of the exhibit 10 guys, it’s going to be interesting. I don’t ultimately think that Butler, you know, will make the roster because I just think it’s in a it’s a tough position with guards on this team and who is already on a full contract. And then obviously, like I said, these exhibit 10 guys. Uh, you’ve also got Charles Bassie uh amongst this mix of guys who I think Bassie had his best game by far. Uh, because he actually got, you know, big minutes in this game against the Grizzlies and showed something. It was interesting. Um, you know, uh, Brad Roland of Locked on Hawks asked Quinn Snyder about the centers, uh, after the Miami Heat game because you had Nfali Dante, who is the the two-way guard from Houston that was signed to a full contract with the Hawks. He looked a a bit a good bit lost out there for the Hawks. Uh but then Charles Bassie I thought had a really good game when Quinn Snder was asked about the two centers, you know, that played heavy minutes. He chose to group them together and talked about the positive things that they were doing. And I think that was strategic in a way to just not separate these guys into one playing better than the other uh as they go ahead, you know, trying to make decisions about um who makes the roster because I I think that’s a tough one. Obviously, when you uh you know, you sign a guy like Nefali Dante, you see potential there and and long-term plans. Uh, and then with Charles Bassie being on an exhibit 10, uh, you know, there’s a lot less connections and, um, you know, you don’t feel as locked in. But I think Bassie having 17 rebounds and five blocks against the Miami Heat was a really good showing for Bassie in trying to fight his way to make the roster or just maybe be in the uh you know kind of in the back of the Hawks mind uh be available make the Skyhawks potentially uh and play in that form of fashion. uh another guy on an exhibit 10 deal who is certainly um you know fighting trying to make the roster see what his potential is if it’s going to be with the Hawks or if it’s going to be with the Skyhawks is the man who had the game winner against the Miami Heat as uh Caleb Houston knocks down a three with 13 seconds to go. Uh this was after the ball was stolen on the inbound. The Hawks were able to steal the ball, then get it over to Caleb Houston. He knocks down the three. Uh, and the Hawks ultimately go on to win in overtime by a point over the Miami Heat. Yes, I said overtime in the preseason. I’ll be so upfront with you guys. I did not think that the NBA played overtime in the preseason. I had to look it up as it was happening because I had never been a part of overtime basketball and I don’t remember, you know, sometimes my memory can fail me, but I don’t remember seeing watching a preseason game that went into overtime and maybe it’s happened and like I said, my memory just failed me. Uh I asked Quinn Snyder about it afterwards and he was like, “Yeah, I think I’ve coached an overtime preseason basketball game. Uh it’s also crazy that it’s five minutes like the regular season would be instead of, you know, kind of going with that summer league playing a much shorter uh final, you know, overtime period. Uh but regardless, it was one where for the most part, I thought that the Miami Heat dominated the Hawks when it came to the overtime period, especially early on. Uh but the Hawks did find some shots later on in this one. And then Caleb Houston, like I said, does eventually go on to hit a three. Uh Houston, look, if there is a reason for him to make the roster, it is because he is a sharpshooter from three because I think there are a lot of other skill sets uh that he is potentially lacking in, especially on the defensive side of the floor. But five of eight from three, I mean, that’s nice. that is nice to have around on your roster to be able to deploy that, especially when you need some offense. Uh, you know, if you’re playing in a game and you’ve got your reserves out there and you just need a spark, something to happen. I think Caleb Houston, you know, has shown that ability. Has he shown enough uh, you know, to potentially knock someone uh, who is on a a non-g guaranteed out of the way and make a roster spot? It’s to be determined. Uh, but I certainly think that Houston showed some positive qualities. Showed some positive qualities as to why he could be someone uh that the Hawks, you know, decide to to keep around on the roster instead of him being someone that they potentially eye for the Skyhawks. Although it, you know, seems very likely that that would be the scenario that that uh Anie Sole has for Caleb Houston is for him to be a Skyhawk and to you know play out his development in that in that form or fashion. Uh, another interesting observation that I will say you could take out of this game is um, you know, not playing your top nine guys meant that and and I don’t necessarily know that I I you have to be careful in talking about, you know, top nine cuz certainly the top eight didn’t play. Um, but beyond that, names that I think, you know, a name that could have played in this game that didn’t was Mo Gay. Uh, and so that certainly, you know, makes you think that his future with this team is more secure than it potentially could be. Uh, as his, you know, his his contract is not guaranteed on this team. V Kreshy did play in this game. Uh, and I found that to be, you know, a bit interesting is maybe they just needed someone, um, you know, kind of in that guard role to help facilitate the offense. Um, or is it one of those that they are eyeing V Kreshy is, you know, hey, we get it. This guy has been great for us in the past. Uh, but is he is someone, you know, that we’re going to keep around on the roster long term? Uh so you know V crushy playing only was 20 minutes. Um but certainly was something interesting as he didn’t have his best shooting night against the Miami Heat either. Um but once again that’s one of those it’s difficult to say whether or not it’s a big deal. It’s more so if it is a long-term issue um or if you know the Hawks needed to see something from V in this game and that determines his future like then then obviously him going I believe one for seven from from three would be something of concern uh with his status kind of moving forward. The last thing that I want to get to, uh, kind of keeping this on the shorter end of of a podcast is I had a conversation postgame after the Heat, uh, preseason game in which I was, you know, the the name Jacob Toppenhen came up because Jacob Toppen did have a big game for the Hawks. He may not have shot the ball particularly well, but he was certainly putting up a lot of shots and was a big big big part of the Hawks on both ends of floor of on both ends of the floor of what they were doing in this preseason game. Like I said, with those top nine guys out, uh, Jacob Toppenhen is on a two-way contract for the Hawks. And so, he is maxed at 50 games, as is Katon Wallace on a two-way contract, maxed at 50 games. How much time though are these two guys going to be seeing with the Atlanta Hawks? And I I kind of, you know, was talking to somebody and said in passing that, well, it’s, you know, it’s it’s not like he’s going to get a ton of minutes for the Hawks this season. And they reminded me, uh, this team, you know, at that four is like an injury away from needing Jacob Toppen to be in the rotation on a regular basis. And um I you know I kind of felt like that was to an extent pretty eye opening that you know this Hawks team as as much as talent-wise they have improved their talent uh and and as far as depth goes it feels like they are you know they have more depth than they have had in the past. Uh it does kind of feel like that four is a position that um you know you don’t want to see injuries certainly happen there. Um but you know could potentially be one that if if injuries are hit there uh that a guy like Jacob Toppen could see more playing time. I think on the other hand, Katon Wallace being a guy who definitely, you know, when the Hawks needed point guard help last year, um he maxed out those those 50 games, I believe, or maybe got to like 48. It was it was extremely close uh for the number of games that Katon Wallace was needed. Uh because it’s not just how many games you you play in, it’s how many games you’re active and available for the team that they count against you. And so, uh, for Katon Wallace on this version of the Hawks, I don’t know that there’s as much concern for him to, um, to be needed. However, it just does kind of seem like, uh, because he is he is an older development piece. I believe Katon is like 26 years old. He’s been around long enough that I think there is a comfort level for Quinn Snyder in being able to use Katon uh from time to time, especially in opportunities when they want to give Trey Young rest or if Trey were to just run into an injury. Um, you know, we’ve obviously seen through the preseason a lot of different ball handlers, uh, and especially, you know, them wanting to to lean on Luke Canard to handle those backup point guard minutes and those responsibilities. But, uh, you know, with an injury, would we see, you know, a lot of minutes from Katon Wallace uh, at that point guard position? And then for the four for Jacob Topin, would we see that as well? Uh it seems like the Hawks once again potentially could be using their two-ways a lot more than other teams would use them. Uh and just have like a different level of confidence in their two-ways than even some of the guys who are going to be on the roster. Uh it’s certainly going to be interesting to see how Moay is used this year. Uh as he has been someone, you know, who we were told they wanted to use more at the four. Uh, but does that continue or does his development at the five end up happening? Of course, all of that being said, Quinn Snyder loves to to joke and he he did so even after the Miami Heat preseason game that, oh, we’re stuck to five positions and a guy can only be one, two, three, four, five instead of obviously being stretch player and and playing multiple positions. But, uh, you know, at the end of the day, you kind of you got to group guys, uh, in certain categories so you have an idea of how you’re filling out a roster. So, whether Quinn likes it or not, this is just kind of where you tend to find yourself. Um, so it’s really interesting period of time. I think looking ahead to the final preseason game of the year, uh, I’ll be interested to see, you know, I I do think that the Hawks will play their starters. So, I would be interesting to see if Kevin Durant plays in the preseason uh for the Rockets. I don’t know that it’ll be, you know, substantial minutes, anything like that. Um as they’ll obviously want to want to keep everything um you know, safe and healthy for the start of the regular season, which is pretty much a week from now. Uh, Wednesday the what, I believe the 22nd against the Toronto Raptors is when the Hawks uh will begin their regular season at home at State Farm Arena. Uh, so definitely, you know, get your tickets, be there in the building for all those sorts of things. It’s going to be an exciting outing. Uh, but for this final preseason game, I would like to see Trey be more efficient offensively shooting the basketball because we know the assists are going to be there. Uh, I would certainly like to see how outside of the top eight guys are used and if you know any of these new pieces get any sort of playing time of opportunity. Uh, is it more minutes for Charles Bassie? Is it more minutes for Caleb Houston? Um, you know, how is is Quinn going to deploy his rotations in this final preseason game? uh that will certainly kind of set the scene for what he wants to do through the early parts of the season. Who’s going to make this roster? Uh and is there going to be any changes before we get to to Thursday? Uh or if it’s going to be that week between the the Houston final preseason game and the start of the season the following Wednesday. Uh as to you know who we end up with on this final roster. I’ll talk with you guys following that Rockets game, that preseason game, uh, and see if any changes get made to this roster and what that means for the future of the team. But go ahead, like, subscribe to the podcast, uh, follow me on social media, atlson 18, follow the radio station at 929 the game. Until next time, you guys have a good one.

The Hawks are nearly finished with preseason hoops, which means a better idea of who will make the team. Also, Trae Young is off to a slow start worth monitoring. We talk about it all on this episode of Atlanta Basketball with Caleb Johnson.

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