The Atlanta Hawks didn’t start their season on an ideal note. Most recently, they suffered a shocking rout on their home floor by the Toronto Raptors, losing 138-118. That match was held at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The Raptors gave fans a glimpse at how good they can be offensively, setting a franchise record for points on opening night and exceeding last season’s top total.
As for the Hawks, Trae Young led with 22 points and five assists. He was negatively affected by an anemic shooting night from 3-point range. He shot 1-of-7 from 3, having missed six straight after his initial make. Young said he was disappointed in the team’s collective fight. “There’s not too many positives I think you can take away from tonight,” he stated.
The Raptors made a blistering 56.8% of their shot attempts on the night—an excellent shooting performance. RJ Barrett & Scottie Barnes were unconscious! As a result, they combined to score a staggering 47 points while hitting nine shots apiece. Their offensive contributions were instrumental in the Raptors 119-103 blowout win.
The Hawks were absolutely miserable in almost every area of the game. They got crushed 86 to 56 in the lane and an eye-popping 34-11 in fastbreak points. To make matters worse, the Hawks were beaten on the boards by 20 rebounds, further exposing their inability to play defense.
Quin Snyder, head coach of the Hawks, acknowledged the need for improvement, emphasizing the importance of defensive strategies and player cohesion. “It’s embarrassing the way we started it,” said Young. Much of that is due to the intensity of the preseason. Clearly, it transitioned over. We didn’t play all five of us. You could kind of see it in the continuity we were having out there; it was just off.
With chemistry and execution issues on full display, and team chemistry in question, Young emphasized that there are adjustments to be made ahead of their next game. “I got to figure out how we need to jell together. Where they like the ball on offense and things like that,” he stated. And yes, we need time to jell. Of course, we’re all looking for results immediately. I mean this is a what have you done for me lately type of league, as well.
Jalen Johnson on the state of the team. He noted that even within those rotations and play, there’s plenty of room to improve. “Rotation’s got to be better. It’s not too much that we got to overthink. We just got to be better than we were tonight. Simple as that,” he said.
One thing is certain – the Hawks are committed to coming back stronger. They’re already looking forward to their next road matchup against the Orlando Magic. With significant adjustments needed following this opener, the team faces an uphill battle to regain momentum in their upcoming games.
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