By: Matthew Weatherby
The Atlanta Hawks opened up their four-game road trip against the Clippers Monday night with a 105-102 win.
With that win, Atlanta has moved to above .500 for the first time this season. All while dropping the Clippers to 3-7 on the year.
Career Night for Krejci
Vit Krejci led the Hawks in scoring with 28 points, with 24 of those points coming off the three-ball. Krejci shot 8-10 from behind the arc and gave Atlanta a much-needed spark off the bench. For Krejci, this is another step forward in his career; he has averaged 5.8 points per game for his career. But the 2020 draft pick is entering his 5th season as a pro and has improved year by year, gaining more minutes year by year, along with becoming a better scorer. He put up 17 points on 46.2% shooting against the Lakers in a win on Saturday. With this performance backing it up, it should give the coaching staff hope for what’s to come for the 25-year-old guard. In the meantime, for the Hawks, it means that they have someone stepping up in the absence of Trae Young.
Leaning on Development
The Hawks will continue to lean on their young guys and their development in the absence of Trae Young and, currently, Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Of the 8 players who tallied minutes for the Hawks last night, only two have more than 5 years of service time in the league, with those two being Luke Kennard and Kristaps Porzingis.
So while the injuries may be seen as damaging to the Hawks, and they are when you lose a guy like Trae Young for an extended period of time, it could provide some positives long-term. But the positives only come if you are able to continue winning in Young’s absence while also allowing your younger players to continue receiving valuable minutes.
What’s Next?
Next for the Hawks will be a trip to Sacramento to face the Kings on Wednesday night.
The Kings are currently 3-7, and without Forward Keegan Murray, and big man Domantas Sabonis is currently a game-time decision due to a rib cage contusion. This is a good spot for the Hawks to be able to build momentum and start their road trip off 2-0.
