3 Takeaways From The Hawks' Season-Opening Win
The Hawks beat the Nets 120-116 in a game that came way too close to the wire. What can they learn from this?
#1: Onyeka Okongwu Needs To Be Starting
The long-awaited Onyeka Okongwu breakout season may finally be upon Hawks fans. The sixth-overall pick in the 2020 draft recorded 28 points (second highest on the team), eight rebounds (four on the offensive glass), three blocks, and was a +4 on the court. Big O shot 11/12 from the field (92%) and 6/6 from the line (100%) and cleaned up great on the glass. Rookie Zaccharie Risacher struggled from the field (which is natural for a rookie in his first game), but it did not matter because it seemed like Okongwu was always there for the putback jam.
OO was coming off the bench because the Hawks did not believe he was a good enough rebounder to warrant starting over Clint Capela. In the first game of the season Okongwu recorded more rebounds than Capela while also scoring more points than Capela has scored in a game since 2021. There is no reason Capela should be starting over Okongwu right now.
Also Onyeka Okongwu and Trae Young were the first Hawks teammates to score 25+ in a season opener since the 90's.
#2: Dyson Daniels Is Already A Better Fit Than Dejounte Murray
Dyson Daniels had a great Hawks debut recording 15 points, five rebounds (three on the offensive glass), two assists, and five steals. He was a +7 from the court and his five steals were a game-high for either team. He shot 50-50-25 from the field and while that free throw percentage definitely needs to go up, he is living up to his name of being a quality 3-and-d player, something the Hawks desperately needed.
Dejounte Murray is certainly not a bad player. His fit was just not what the Hawks needed. The Hawks did need a secondary playmaker and scorer after getting exposed by the Miami Heat in the 2022 playoffs, but with Trae's inability to play off-ball Murray was unable to truly thrive in Atlanta.
Daniels, however, checks a lot of the boxes the Hawks need. He is a willing defender, playing great defense on Cam Thomas until he exploded in the 4th quarter. He is a great shooter and consistent shooting is something the Hawks have lacked the last few years, especially since the Kevin Huerter trade. Lastly, and as corny as it sounds Dyson Daniels has that "it factor" or that "dawg" in him.
Early in the 4th quarter, Daniels was going up for what should have been an easy lay-up. Nets' Nic Claxton basically tackled him in a play which would later result in him getting ejected from the game. Daniels got up and got in Claxton's face after the play, letting him know he was not cool with what Claxton did. That type of energy and tenacity is something the Hawks have really needed and it was great to see it on display from the new Hawks addition.
#3: This Might Be The Best All-Around Roster Trae Young Has Seen Around Him
The 2021 Atlanta Hawks were a special team. A five seed that made a magical run to the conference finals that fell two games short of the finals. But, roster-wise this might be the best team built around Trae Young in terms of building around the strength of your star.
Young is one of the best playmakers not only in 2024 but in the entire history of the league. He has never averaged less than eight assists per game in a season and averaged nearly 11 a game last year.
It's no shock that the 6-foot-1 guard struggles on the defensive side of the ball. He is by no means a good defender, but when he puts effort on the defensive side of the ball he can be a decent defender. To combat small guards, you have to build a roster of capable defenders most of whom can also shoot, like the Warriors did around Steph Curry. This Hawks roster tried to emulate that formula.
Dyson Daniels can both defend the rock and shoot it.
Jalen Johnson is a great defender and a solid shooter, shooting 35% from three on nearly four attempts a game last season.
Zaccharie Risacher was touted as a great 3-and-d player (kind of like a Walmart KD because of his size) who can both shoot the ball and then lock someone up on the other side of the ball.
Onyeka Okongwu can defend 3-5 well and is a much better perimeter defender than Clint Capela while also shooting 33% from three last season.
Bogdan Bogdanovic shot poorly last night but is one of the best shooters in the entire NBA and is a decent defender when putting effort into that side of the ball (he had two blocks last night).
Kobe Bufkin is a solid defender who can shoot if given minutes on the court (he had a game where he went 7/13 from three in the preseason just last week).
So the Hawks have followed the Warriors' formula of surrounding Trae Young with shooters. All he had to do was find them and find them he did.
Young had six assists by the end of the first quarter and ended the game with 12 total. This will certainly be a special year for the Atlanta Hawks star who recorded 30 points and 12 assists last night. This game vaulted him to top 5 in NBA history in 30-10 games.
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