 Trae Young finished his first preseason game with nine points and eight assists in the Hawks loss against the Rockets (Image via Kevin Jairaj)
By: Lucas Kochevar The Hawks started their season, kind of, in Houston on Monday night as they lost to the Rockets 122-113. The Hawks experimented with some unique lineups in the first half, but the reserves weren’t able to keep it close as the Rockets pulled away in the second half. The Hawks opened the game with a starting lineup that featured Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Jalen Johnson and Kristaps Porzingis. The Hawks starting lineup has been a point of conversation ever since the Hawks acquired Porzingis as many were unsure whether he would start over Onyeka Okongwu. Head coach Quin Snyder and the Hawks have maintained the point that they can employ the lineup in many different configurations, which makes whoever starts the game obsolete. Maintaining the “optionality” that General Manager Onsi Saleh has preached seems to be the theme of the Hawks starting lineup early on. The optionality was on display early as the Hawks deployed a lineup that featured Young, Luke Kennard, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Okongwu and Porzingis. Defense was optional but they showed some flashes on offense as they finished the first quarter down 24-23. The Hawks’ regulars would play through the second quarter too as they were up 68-66 at halftime. The Hawks reserves would get most of the run in the second half as Alexander-Walker led the Hawks in scoring with 13 points off the bench. The Hawks will be back in action on Saturday as they travel to the Memphis Grizzlies at 8:00 p.m. EST.
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 Jalen Johnson poses for the Hawks 2025-26 Media Day as the team welcomes in many new faces (Image via @ATLHawks/X)
By: Lucas Kochevar A common theme seemed to pop up during the Hawks official 2025-26 Media Day as multiple players took the podium. Efficiency was the word of the day as head coach Quin Snyder and Trae Young referenced the word. From all levels, it was a word that indicates a simple, but precise style of play that the Hawks look to utilize with many new faces in the mix. Snyder and Young talked last week leading up to the start of the season with training camp and preseason around the corner and the messaging between the two was clear “The key word for Trae is efficiency,” Snyder said. “He wants to get better every year… To me, his leadership is about him being efficient and doing things on the court to help our team win.” The word ‘efficiency’ can be interpreted a number of different ways in NBA circles. The beauty of efficiency is in the eye of the beholder or, in this case, in the statistician. One of the most common stats that measures efficiency is PER (player efficiency rating), which is described by former NBA exec. and current columnist John Hollinger, as “the rating of a player’s per-minute productivity.” It’s a stat that uses formulas to measure a player’s successes and failures on the court. Regardless, Young claims to be the one to initiate that word into his conversations with Snyder last week. “I think I was the first one to bring up efficiency in our conversation,” Young said with a grin. “As high as he wants to set the bar for me, I want to set it even higher. For me, I’m excited about this team.” The talk surrounding Young seems to focus on his inefficiency. With a high usage rate, Young is forced, in a way, to shoulder the responsibilities that lead to stats that don't favor Young. Despite the noise, Young has managed to increase his assists every season, including a league-high 11.6 assists per game last season. Snyder mentioned during his presser that Young is ‘one of the NBA’s best at hit-ahead passes’ but even with that, Snyder wants ‘more’ of those passes from him. Young wasn’t the only player to mention efficiency from his presser as second-year starter Zaccharie Risacher stated his intentions at media day. “My goal is really to be efficient. As soon as I step on the court I want to be the best version of myself so that we can win games,” Risacher said about his goals for improvement. “My main strength is that I’m a versatile player so I’m ready to do whatever it takes [to win games].” The sentiment felt clear from the early quotes from media day. The Hawks expectations are high, but there will be a learning and feeling out process among the players and coaches. As most teams work, the Hawks will look to their head coach and point guard to gather all the guys together to play winning basketball. The veterans are here to help speed up the young guys' winning process, as multiple Hawks players' noted, they have the third youngest roster in the league. Playing efficient basketball will be an early key for the Hawks to grab some easy wins while learning to play together.  Hawks 2023 first round pick Kobe Bufkin played substantial minutes for the Hawks summer league team, but now finds himself in Brooklyn after a reported trade (Image via nbamaniacs)
By: Lucas Kochevar The Hawks are active here a couple weeks before training camp with a trade as they deal Kobe Bufkin to the Brooklyn Nets. This move creates financial flexibility for the Hawks around the luxury tax and more. The Hawks make this move with the roster implications that they’re happy with the backup point guard position being split up between Luke Kennard, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels. The Hawks drafted Bufkin with the 15th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Bufkin struggled to contribute to the Hawks as he dealt with injuries through his two seasons. Bufkin averaged around five points and two rebounds in limited action in Atlanta. Bufkin will look for a fresh start in Brooklyn as they’ll be playing a number of young guys to develop in the middle of a rebuild. The Hawks new flexibility could help them make a move for a veteran on the open market, now or during the season. The Hawks could also use the new space to extend someone, Trae Young or Dyson Daniels. The Hawks could even use the space to trade for a cap casualty player like they already have this offseason with Kristaps Porzingis. Anything at this time regarding that newly acquired cap space is speculation as the Hawks front office has been tight lipped under general manager Onsi Saleh. The Hawks roster now sits at 19 players heading into training camp.  Dennis Schroder and Germany took down Turkey to capture the 2025 Eurobasket first place (Image via FIBA Basketball)
By: Lucas Kochevar Eurobasket 2025 has been a fixture for Hawks fans and this website since multiple Hawks were featured, but since they were eliminated early on in the tournament, it’s been quiet. On Sunday, Eurobasket crowned a winner as Dennis Schroder and Germany took down Alperun Sengun and Turkey to win the 2025 iteration of Eurobasket. Germany entered as one of the favorites in the tournament and held up throughout to win the first place game 88-83. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece also won the third place game over Finland to secure their spot on the podium. There were a number of upsets that happened after the group stage concluded. Nikola Jokic and Serbia were knocked out early and France couldn’t beat Georgia to get out of the first round. Kristaps Porzingis and Latvia were eliminated by Lithuania in the first round also. Porzingis had mostly ups with some downs mixed in at Eurobasket, but overall a very encouraging sign for Hawks fans was his health. Porzingis averaged 20.2 points per game to go along with 8.7 rebounds over the course of six games. All in all, Porzingis showed his offensive prowess that should translate well to an offense led by Trae Young. Zaccharie Risacher also had his ups and downs as a member of France, but his role, or lack thereof, stumped him in certain games. Regardless, Risacher showed off skills he didn’t have last year and had averages of 9.7 points per game and 4.2 rebounds per game. He also shot 12-for-29 (41.4%) from three. Vit Krejci and Czechia didn’t make a lot of noise, but Krejci still earned experience as the initiator for their offense and he averaged 8.2 points per game, 3.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Although none of the Hawks were able to make it far in this tournament, it was encouraging to have guys competing and showing different skills that they can bring to the Hawks for the upcoming season. The next time these Hawks will take the basketball court will be for training camp, where a couple other new faces will join them. The Hawks made some signings in the last couple days as center Charles Bassey and guard Kobe Johnson will join the Hawks on training camp deals. Bassey joins the team after a season with the Spurs as he appeared in 36 games. He averaged 4.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in about ten minutes per game. Johnson, the younger brother of Hawks power forward Jalen Johnson, is a rookie out of UCLA. He went undrafted, but played for the Hawks summer league team. He averaged 7.9 points per game, 5.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists with the Bruins last season. Both players will presumably fight for the last roster spot against guys like N’Faly Dante, Caleb Houstan, Javan Johnson and Dwight Murray Jr. If these guys don’t make the active roster, there’s a good chance they’ll land on the G-League team in College Park.  France and Poland played in Katowice, Poland on Tuesday, Sep. 2, where France (Image via FIBA/Courtside 1891)
By: Lucas Kochevar France took down Poland 83-76 to improve to 3-1 in group play. Risacher struggled early as he only played five minutes in the second half. He finished with zero points, three rebounds and three assists. France looked to bounce back after suffering their first loss of Eurobasket against Israel on Sunday Aug. 31. As one of the host countries, Poland was ready to cheer on their team as they shot the ball well from three in the first quarter. France was still able to get where they wanted as they shot 9-for-10 from two-point range. Risacher struggled to shoot early on, but contributed elsewhere with three assists and rebounds to go along with two steals. Risacher couldn’t quite find his footing at any point in the first half as Poland held the advantage 44-41. France responded in the third quarter as they outscored Poland 19-11 to carry a five-point lead into the fourth. France and Poland went back-and-forth in the last period, but France held on to win as France’s leader Guerschon Yabusele led the way for France with 36 points. Over the weekend at Eurobasket, the Hawks representation saw a mixed bag of results. Zaccharie Risacher and France were handed their first loss of Eurobasket against Israel, despite Risacher’s best efforts. Vit Krejci and Czechia remain winless as they suffered a blowout defeat against Nikola Jokic and Serbia. Kristaps Porzingis and Latvia had their best performance so far in a blowout win over Portugal, where Porzingis scored 21 points, including five three pointers. There will be some intrigue Sep. 3 as Hawks teammates, Krejci and Portzingis will face off against each other with their respective squads. The group stage will end Thursday Sep. 4 as Risacaher and France will play Iceland. From there, they’ll decide their fate. France will be without big man Alex Sarr as he was ruled out for the rest of Eurobasket with a calf injury. Risacher will be a key member that needs to contribute with Sarr out.  Zaccharie Risacher throws down a monster poster dunk in France's win against Belgium (Image via @Eurobasket/X)
By: Lucas Kochevar The Hawks young player was on display with France on Thursday against Belgium as he scored 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal in France’s 92-64 win over Belgium. France took control early and held it throughout as Belgium only led for 25 seconds. France pulled ahead early as Risacher came in with about three minutes left in the first quarter. Risacher had a solid stretch on the floor, but didn’t do much that showed up on the box score. Risacher’s only points of the first half came from an emphatic poster dunk from the baseline. He showed off his strength with that dunk and more interior defense when defenders attempted to post him up. Risacher produced the most during his stretch in the third to fourth quarter as he made two three-pointers during this stretch. The difference in the game boiled down to the field goal percentage from two-point range. France shot an astounding 59% inside the arc compared to Belgium’s 39%. The win also came in a true team effort as Bilal Coulibaly and Ellie Okbo led France with 12 points, Guerschon Yabsule scored 11 points and Risacher and Nadir Hifi scored 10 points. Hans Vanwijn for Belgium scored a game-high 13 points. The Hawks continue their action with Latvia and Czechia in action again during their group stage play on Friday. France takes on Luka Doncic and Slovenia Saturday at 11 a.m. EST and at the same time, Kristaps Porzingis and Latvia take on Serbia.  Hawks big man Kristaps Porzingis suited up for Latvia and scored 10 points in a 93-73 loss against Turkey (Image via Courtside 1891)
By: Lucas Kochevar Hawks players began action in Eurobasket 2025 as Kristaps Porzingis and Latvia lost to Turkey 93-73 and Vit Krejci lost in Czechia’s opener against Portugal, 62-50. Porzingis ended his game with 10 points and four rebounds . Porzingis and Latvia struggled out the gate with lackluster defense that led to a 13-3 Turkey lead. Porzingis still struggled shooting, but showed more activity as Latvia cut into the lead to make it 24-21 at the end of the first quarter. Both teams went back-and-forth in the second quarter, but Turkey had a 39-47 lead at halftime. Turkey pulled away from Latvia in the third quarter and they would hold a 26-point lead at one point. They shot 15/25 (60%) from three for the game and Cedi Osman led all scorers with 20 points. As one of the host cities, Latvia will play in front of their fans again on Friday against Estonia at 11 a.m. EST. Krejci finished his game with 12 points, four rebounds and three assists. Czechia couldn’t find their footing early as Portugal jumped out to an early lead, but a 6-0 run helped Czechia grab a small lead. The lead was short-lived as Portugal would go back on top, including an 11-4 run in the fourth quarter. The biggest difference was shot-making as Portugal shot 38% to Czechia’s 29%. Portugal big man Neemias Queta led the game in scoring with 23 points. Krejci and Czechia will be back in action against Turkey on Friday at 7:45 a.m. EST. Reminder, Zaccharie Risacher and France play tomorrow, Aug. 28 at 11 a.m. EST against Belgium.  Zaccharie Risacher attacks the rim in France's 92-77 victory over Greece in an exhibition game on Aug. 25 (Image via Greek City Times)
By: Lucas Kochevar Zaccharie Risacher, Kristaps Porzingis and Vit Krejci are in action this week as the Eurobasket 2025 begins their group stage games on Wednesday, Aug 27. The three Hawks have been playing in their respective teams’ friendly exhibitions for the better part of a month, but the games will start counting when Krejci and Czechia take on Portugal at 7:45 a.m. EST on Wednesday Aug 27. Porzingis and Latvia play at 11 a.m. EST on Wednesday as well. Both players are the lone NBA players on their respective teams. Risacher and France play the next day against Belgium at 11 a.m. on Thursday Aug. 28. Risacher is in a unique spot with France as he looks to establish himself as a core member for France moving forward. Risacher has been in a weird role with France over the course of their friendlies as he’s come off the bench for the team and has been a clear fixture on offense and defense. On Sunday in France’s 92-77 win, Risacher scored 14 points and five rebounds off the bench, but clearly flashed on both ends. Hawks fans will have to learn that starting lineups don’t matter as much as how many minutes each guy gets, but in international play it’s clear that Risacher is one of the best players for France. Despite being one of the best players for France, Risacher finds himself off the bench for most of his exhibition games. It’s odd, but still Risacher isn’t a finished product and he’s well aware of that. There’s an interesting part of his game that could be on display as a work-in-progress for Risacher. “I want to be more comfortable with ball-handling,” Risacher said to a reporter before his exhibition game in Greece. “I feel like it’s another part of my game I can improve. Just be able to get to my spot and be efficient with the ball in my hands.” Risacher will have chances to work on that as he plays with France. France will be playing without big men like Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert, so Risacher will likely have to play big man minutes at power forward. Although it won’t be a traditional ball-handling position, when Risacher crashes the glass for rebounds, he’ll have chances to grab and go with the ball. In a way, he’ll be able to work on guard and big man skills at the same time, furthering his versatility for France and Atlanta when the season starts. It’ll be fun to watch Eurobasket 2025 with numerous NBA all-stars and some Hawks on display. Until the Hawks preseason games start in October, this will be a good place to scratch that basketball itch.  Luke Kennard is joining the Hawks on a 1-year, $11-million deal as a shooter off the bench (Image via Petre Thomas/USA TODAY Sports)
By: Lucas Kochevar One of the Hawks newest acquisitions Luke Kennard comes in to provide a unique spark to the Hawks offense that the team hasn’t seen since Kyle Korver was around. Kennard is a three-point menace and finds himself in Atlanta on a one-year deal worth $11-million. Kennard has been around for a bit as he was drafted by Detroit in 2017 and played for the Clippers and Grizzlies before joining the Hawks as a rental for this season. Kennard is a career 43.8% three-point shooter and provides much needed spacing for the Hawks second unit. Kennard is the cream of the crop as a shooter in the league, even in terms of league history. Kennard ranks third all-time as a 43.8% shooter right below Steve Kerr and Hubert Davis. Kennard’s impact for the Hawks could be in spots from three where he thrives the most, the corners. Trae Young and Kristaps Porzingis are volume shooters from three when it comes to straight on, so Kennard will have to find his spots where he’ll run to and stay ready for the pass. From the right corner in 2024-25, Kennard shot a strong 45%, but from the left corner he shot an insane 62%. Kennard will have the chance to double his success if he ends up on the court alongside Trae Young. Young led the league in assists last year with 11.6 per game, but the more eye-popping number is 20.7 potential assists per game. Adding in someone that can make open threes should boost those assist numbers, alongside the potential assists. Kennard isn’t the only one that can knock down open threes as Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Caleb Houstan all come in as noted three-point shooters. The Hawks three-point shooting last year sat at 35.8% last season with limited production from beyond the arc. The issue with spacing brought a lot of pressure on Trae Young to create the three-point opportunities. Zaccharie Risacher came around post-all star break and Onyeka Okongwu flashed some of his shooting prowess, but the Hawks have missed having a true guard threat from three since Kevin Huerter and Bogdan Bogdanovic shot at their career averages en route to the ECF in 2021. The Hawks’ main concern with Kennard on the floor will come on the defensive side as he has never been a positive asset on that side of the ball. He’s not a tall shooter and he’s not a super strong player so he has to rely on the stereotypical hard-hat, craftiness to be an opportunistic defender. For the rest of his career, he’ll be an offensive first player and that’ll serve the Hawks well with a scoring punch off the bench.  Caleb Houstan dropped a career high 35 points against the Hawks as a member of the Magic. He officially signed with the Hawks on a league-minimum deal (Image via Kim Klement Neitzel/USA TODAY)
By: Lucas Kochevar The Hawks have officially signed a couple rumored guys to fill out their 15-man roster. They announced N’Faly Dante as an official signing and followed it with Caleb Houstan. Houstan has been rumored as a guy for the Hawks for a couple weeks, but wasn’t announced for unspecified reasons. Houstan is a forward, who will likely provide depth for the Hawks. To make it easy, he’ll likely be a swing forward that fills the Garrison Mathews role from last season's team. His calling card is three-point shooting as he is a career 37.2% shooter, including 40% last season. Houstan is entering his fourth year in the pros. He was drafted by the Orlando Magic in the second round in the 2022 NBA Draft. There’s a number of reasons why Houstan hasn’t stuck in the pros as a consistent player, namely his athleticism. Houstan is big at six-for-eight, but he’s not your traditional three-and-D wing. His lack of athleticism leads to problems on defense. He’s not a horrible defender, but he’s far from being a plus player on that side of the court. A fun fact about Houstan is that he’s played 2,415 minutes over 168 games and he’s never recorded a dunk in a game. The Houstan signing being announced officially seems to mark the end of the transaction period for the Hawks, at this point. They have officially filled out their 15-man roster and all three two-way spots are filled. The Hawks roster going into training camp will feature Trae Young, Kobe Bufkin, Luke Kennard, Dyson Daniels, Keaton Wallace, Vit Krejci, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Nikola Djurisic in the guard room. The forward room consists of Zaccharie Risacher, Jalen Johnson, Mo Gueye, Caleb Houstan, Eli John Ndiaye, Asa Newell and Jacob Toppin. Finally, the centers are Onyeka Okongwu, Kristaps Portzings and N’Faly Dante. There will be a few things to talk before training camp with a couple of Hawks players in Eurobasket 2025 |
Lucas Kochevar My journey reflects my ability to never quit at a challenge or speed bump. I started my own sports blog and website with an honest goal in mind and that was to talk about the sports I love. Archives |
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