Adreian Payne, Lamar Patterson, shine in Hawks Summer League loss to Wizards

Today the Atlanta Hawks played the Washington Wizards in their first Summer League game of the year, dropping the game 90-74.

While it might be frustrating to see the blow-out loss, most NBA guys will tell you that the final score with these games is inconsequential. The most important thing to look at should be the development of your personnel–especially the newcomers.

In that aspect, it seems like it was a succesful day for the Hawks, as first and second round picks, Adreian Payne and Lamar Patterson had succesful NBA debuts.

Payne led the team in scoring after a slow start to the game, putting up 12 points on 5-15 shooting and added seven rebounds (three offensive and four defensive). However,

Patterson was more efficient from the floor in his 31 minutes of action, going 3-7 to score 10 points. He went 3-4 from the free throw line and 1-4 from 3-point land, while showing some defensive value by racking up three steals.

Here’s what our own Brad Rowland had to say about the two rookies:

"In the newcomers category, Adreian Payne drew a great deal of attention. The first-round pick got off an ugly start from the field (1 for 6 in the first half), and he looked to be pressing a bit in the early going. Still, his athleticism showed throughout (including a massive follow dunk in the third quarter) and he was able to finish with 12 points and 7 rebounds (to go along with 8 fouls).(Lamar Patterson) looked to be firmly comfortable at this level, displaying a smooth disposition with the ball, and he finished with 10 points, including a beautiful left-handed floater in the third quarter, and 3 steals."

Here are a few notes on some of the returning players for the Hawks:

• Dennis Schroder – Schroder did a nice job facilitating the offense despite an ugly statistical look. He shot 2-13 and scored just eight points after going 4-4 from the free throw line.
• Mike Muscala – In addition to scoring 11 points and hauling in five rebounds in 26 minutes, Muscala looked good distributing the ball throughout the game and added a pair of assists.
• John Jenkins – Jenkins’ performance was one of the more disappointing of the game after making just one shot and playing poor defense.

If you aren’t already, you really need to be following Brad on Twitter (@BTRowland) for updates on the Hawks throughout the Summer League. He’s there. He knows the Hawks. And he knows basketball. What more do you need?

In the meantime, I’ll continue to recap Hawks games throughout the summer.