It is not wise to make big conclusions after one preseason game in the NBA, but after not seeing the Atlanta Hawks play basketball for five months, it is all we have to go on.
It was an uneven game for the Hawks on Monday night against Memphis. The starters played fairly well, especially on the defensive end of the floor, but things went south when the reserves came in. The defense was much worse, and Atlanta ended up losing the second quarter 49-26 and allowing Memphis to shoot 8-11 from three. Things picked up in the second half, and Atlanta nearly pulled off the comeback, but it did not matter, and they fell to 0-1.
There is one thing that stood out to me and is something to watch going forward.
Rookies can have a hard time breaking out in the NBA, especially when you are the No. 23 pick in the NBA Draft, but I thought that the Hawks would use Zuby Ejiofor a little bit more than they ended up doing on Monday night against Memphis.
Ejiofor did not play in the first half of the game, but ended up playing a shade over 14 minutes in the second half, a half in which the Hawks defense was far better than it showed in the second quarter. He contributed five points, three rebounds, and two assists in the second half and I thought the physicality and toughness on the defensive end of the court was noticeable, especially alongside Jalen Wilson, RayJ Dennis, and later on, Kobe Johnson.
Was Ejiofor's lack of playing time due to this being the first game for him or was this a sign of a potential developmental season that will be spen in College Park?
I would caution anyone to wait until we see the other preseason games, but with Mouhamed Gueye injured right now, I thought that he would play a little more than he did.
However, if he can keep making a positive impact on defense, he might begin to start gaining ground on Asa Newell. Newell had a very up and down game on Monday. He finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds, but his lack of defense was a big reason that the Hawks gave up 49 points in the second half. If Ejiofor can continue to do the dirty work on defense, it might not be long before he is in the rotation.
It was expected that he would be the third center on the team and that is what he played on Monday night. I also think it is encouraging to see him playing more than Dorian Finney-Smith, the recent acquisition from Charlotte.
It is just one game and we are going to need more evidence to see how things go, but Newell got the first crack at the backup power forward spot and with Gueye coming back at some point, it looks like Ejiofor is starting the year on the outside looking in for playing time. I thought he would be more of a center piece because of his toughness and defense, two big themes for the Hawks this offseason, but that was not the case on Monday night and it might not be for a bit.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/hawks/onsi as What I Changed My Mind About the Atlanta Hawks After One Preseason Game .
