Atlanta Hawks: Las Vegas Summer League Review

The Atlanta Hawks playoff run in the Las Vegas Summer League came to an end on Sunday evening, as the San Antonio Spurs and Coach Becky Hammon defeated Kenny Atkinson’s Hawks by a score of 75-68.

Former second round draft pick Lamar Patterson led the Atlanta Hawks in scoring with 16 points on 5-13 shooting, also going 2 for 6 from beyond the three-point line in 27 minutes played. Mike Muscala led the team in rebounds with 8, adding 13 points on 3 of 8 shooting.

In the ongoing competition for a training camp invite, Glenn Robinson III score 10 points coming off the bench, shooting 4 for 9 from the field and shooting 50 percent from long-range. Former Arizona Wildcat Brandon Ashley scored 9 points on 4 for 6 shooting in 18 minutes, while Terran Petteway added 7 points on 2 for 12 shooting in nearly 26 minutes on the court.

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While the Atlanta Hawks run in the Las Vegas Summer is over, we learned a lot about what the team was looking for coming into the season on the depth chart, and saw developmental progress with some of the team’s top prospects. Here are some key observations from the Atlanta Hawks during the Las Vegas Summer League:

Mike Muscala Will Be a Rotation Player Next Season:

Mike Muscala

was somewhat over-qualified as a player on a Summer League roster, but his presence was to give him valuable minutes as the featured offensive player. It is safe to assume that after Muscala’s performance at the end of the 2015 season and in the playoffs, his addition to the Atlanta Hawks’ roster in the LVSL was to continue to develop his leadership skills and to see how he reacted as the Hawks best offensive option. The results were underwhelming, but still good for the third year Forward/Center out of Bucknell, as he displayed a strong jump shot and more strength in the paint. Hopefully his presence on the Summer League squad will pay dividends for the Hawks next season.

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Walter Tavares

Is an Exciting Prospect, but Needs Time to Develop:

The 2015-2016 season will be the first year for 7’3” prospect

Walter Tavares

in the NBA. His size and ability to provide rim protection is enough to make any Hawks fan salivate over the idea of adding him to Mike Budenholzer’s rotation. While Tavares’s play consistently improved over the past two weeks at the LVSL, his offense is still a work-in-progress, and his footwork is still a little slow. Playing behind

Al Horford

and

Tiago Splitter

next year should help the young Center develop. Similarly to

Dennis Schroder

, Tavares is an intriguing player because of his upside, but requires time and patience in order for him to meet his full potential.

Mar 27, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Glenn Robinson III (1) shoots over Los Angeles Clippers guard Dahntay Jones (31) at Wells Fargo Center. The Clippers won 119-98. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Competition for the Final Roster Spot Will Be a Four Man Race (at least):

During theLVSL, four wing players stood out and will vie for an invitation to the Atlanta Hawks training camp with the 15th and last roster spot at stake.

Lamar Patterson led the Atlanta Hawks in scoring during the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging over 13 points per game. Though the 2014 second round pick by the Hawks showed developmental progress after a year playing in Turkey, his sometimes erratic behavior on the offensive end and predilection to turn the ball demonstrates that he still has flaws in his game.

Glenn Robinson III was the best athlete on the team but still showed holes in his shooting ability. The former Michigan standout was a late addition to the roster, but played big minutes in a bench role and demonstrated the ability to play on an NBA club. He is most likely the current favorite for the 15th spot on the Hawks roster.

The MVP of the Pac 12 Tournament last year, Brandon Ashley’s play during the Summer League showed that he could be an intriguing piece on the Atlanta Hawks next season. Defensively, Ashley is solid and has a high upside if he can develop. I’m a big fan of his game and I hope he at least receives an invite to training camp.

Mar 11, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Terran Petteway (5) runs onto the court during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the first round of the Big Ten Conference Tournament at the United Center. The Nittany Lions won 68-65. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Terran Petteway exceeded all expectations in the Summer League, and was a key player for the team during the run in the LVSL Tournament. At 6’6”, Petteway can play the 2 or 3, and possesses a jump-shot that is efffective, but requires further refinement. Though his shooting was inconsistent in some of the Hawks games this month, Petteway could become a “3 and D” player somewhere down the line for the Hawks or another NBA team.

Kenny Atkinson Has a Future as an NBA Head Coach: Though the Atlanta Hawks only went 1-2 in round robin play before the LVSL Tournament, Hawks Assistant Kenny Atkinson developed a great team chemistry with many players who had never played together before, allowing his squad to make a great run in the tournament. As my colleague John Buhler wrote last week, Atkinson, like Utah’s Quinn Snyder, will probably be the next Atlanta Hawks’ coach and Mike Budenholzer acolyte to receive his own gig in the NBA.

-= Hawks All-Time Lists: Top 5 Head Coaches =-

For more Atlanta Hawks news leading up to the 2015-2016 season, keep it here at ATL All Day.

Next: Atlanta Hawks: Next Assistant to Become an NBA HC?

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