Hawks Lose Summer League Debut to Clippers

While the actual results of the games during the NBA’s yearly Las Vegas Summer League aren’t particularly relevant, the Hawks fell in their first appearance by a 90-83 score at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Hawks won the 1st and 4th quarters with ease, but a disastrous 2nd quarter (in which they were outscored 33-13) did the team in on the scoreboard. John Jenkins led all scorers with 24 points (on 11 of 23 shooting) and last year’s 3rd point guard Shelvin Mack added 11 points and 6 assists on the day. I’m not sure how much the team can learn about Jenkins in Summer League, but it was nice to see him assertive in the defined role of #1 scoring option. However, the real focus of the day was certainly on the team’s two first-round picks.

Brazilian big man Lucas Nogueira made a (very) late appearance in Las Vegas, being added late to the team’s roster, and started the game for Atlanta. He finished with 10 points and 8 rebounds, but showed flashes of his incredible athleticism and ran the floor extremely well throughout his 29-minute appearance.

On the perimeter, German PG Dennis Schröder struggled from the floor, shooting just 2 of 8, but did finish with 7 assists in 32 minutes. There were reports circulating Twitter concerning his pension for the pick-and-roll, and the looked comfortable (at least) running that particular part of the offense throughout the night.

In addition, 2nd-round pick Mike Muscala and 2012 2nd-round pick Mike Scott each scored in double-figures with 11 points each for Atlanta.

Overall, it was a solid debut for the team despite the final score, and I am thoroughly encouraged by a few things that I saw. The team will play at least 4 more games this week, so there will be plenty of time to gauge the progress of the young guys and familiarize everyone with the new roster. The next opportunity to see the Hawks in action will be Sunday night at 10 pm ET as the team takes on the Miami Heat.