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ATLANTA – The Atlanta Hawks played their second preseason game of the year against the Philadelphia 76ers, and it was much different than their first game. The Hawks finished the game shooting 37.2% from the field and 29.5% from three. Despite the numbers, the Hawks got a lot of good shots; they just didn't fall. Trae Young knows that players are still trying to figure out their spots on the court, so he wasn't even worried about his nine turnovers.
“Right now I'm trying to get everybody involved. I don't really give a f— about these turnovers,” Young said. “It's the preseason. Me trying to get everybody involved is what I always try to do.”
Young is a gifted playmaker, and there's no doubt that he'll find his teammates, sometimes even when they're not expecting the ball. That's where preseason comes in to fix the small things and to be able to build chemistry on the court, for both sides of the ball.
Even though the offense wasn't on point for the Hawks, the defense made some strides throughout the game. Most notably, Dyson Daniels was the main defender on Tyrese Maxey, and he made it hard for him every time he touched the ball. Maxey finished the game shooting 5-of-18 from the field.
After the game, Daniels gave his process on guarding Maxey, one of the faster guards in the NBA.
“Everyone's different. Tyrese Maxey is super quick; he can shoot the step-back three and get under the rim,” Daniels said. “I have to judge when I can pick him up, when I can turn him. Sometimes, I try to pick him up early and get him on his back foot when he brings it up. A couple of times tonight, I made him get off the ball and make someone else bring it up, which, if I could do that, I'm doing my job.”
Young knows how it feels to be on the opposite side of that, and he praised Daniels after the game for what he's able to do on the defensive side of the ball.
“I see one of the best defenders in the league,” Young said. “Everytime he's on the ball, he's pressuring the ball. It helps our defense, it kills time off the clock. That's what teams try to do versus us. They try to pick me up full court, try to get the ball out of my hand, and try to make me use clock before we get past halfcourt. We got one of those guys now, and he's going to help us a lot throughout this season.”
Hawks' defense takes strides in loss vs. 76ers
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Head coach Quin Snyder was also satisfied with the defense and how the Hawks came out to start the game.
“Dyson [Daniels] obviously is so effective on the ball, he takes so much pride in it,” Snyder said after the game. “But also, on the backline, guys were shifting. I thought we started the game out very well that way, and then there were a couple of stretches where we were back, but we weren't communicating, and they got some stuff in transition.”
In the second game in a row, rookie Zaccharie Riscaher had a solid performance for the Hawks, finishing with 14 points and eight rebounds.
“One of the things that's been fun to see with Zacch is his work ethic, and he's got a quiet toughness to him for a 19-year-old kid. There's a determination that he has that if you watch him, you see that come out,” Snyder said.
Going forward into the final two preseason games, the Hawks will continue to try and build chemistry with one another on the court as the real games begin next week.
