Where do the Hawks rank in the East?
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily. I'm Dave DeFore here with S. Baraheni and our special guest from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Lauren Williams, to talk Hawks.
Hello. Thanks for having me.
Hello, Lauren.
Hello, hello.
Welcome back to the show. Yes. Live in person at Summer League. At Summer League in Vegas. How's your Summer League been so far?
Good. As you know, I slept most of it. That's awesome.
You're the smartest person in Summer League. That's the way to do it, actually. Because what happens is, and we did a pod with CJ Miles, and he said, you always got to skip that last Uber. Yeah. He's like, when they're trying to change places, skip it. And you're just skipping the first one.
Yeah. No, every time Dave will be like, hey, I'm meeting this person here. Do you want to come? I'm like, yeah, let me let me get a nap in. And then I don't. Once I'm in, I'm doing it right. Yeah.
So you're well rested.
Trying to be.
You're here. You're covering the Hawks. Yep. How do you feel about their summer so far? I mean, obviously they had a pretty good draft, it seems like. Bringing back CJ McCollum.
Yeah.
You know, kind of following up on this successful season they had last year. Yeah. What are your thoughts?
I mean, I think the big thing is obviously the continuity. And that's something that you can tell they're starting to value after so much change over the last, you know, three seasons. Yeah. Yeah. Um, moving on from Trey young, um, you know, they didn't have a point guard and that was very evident that they needed that in the playoffs and they went out and got one in Kingston Flemings. And, um, I think the big thing with summer league is obviously you take things with a grain of salt, but just how he takes care of the ball is huge. And it, it makes you forget that he's only 19 years old and he has that much ball security. Um, but yeah, we love it. I think the big thing that they want to see from him is just, can he get to the basket?
Can he finish at the rim? And that's the big question mark. Um, I think they also want him to be a lot more aggressive with shooting, especially because of how much they want to space the floor. And, and maybe it will help him out that, you know, he has shooters around him, like Nikhil Alexander Walker and CJ McCollum, Onyeka Okonkwo, you know, has taken a big step forward as a, as a shooter that can, you know, spread the floor. So, I think that will help him out and maybe it will kind of signal to him, I can be more aggressive because I have better passers around me.
It feels like the Hawks, very similar to a team I cover in the Toronto Raptors, have a type. Yeah. And Kingston Fleming is one of their type, but also Zuby Ejiofor is their type. A lot of people thought they would go for like the big, big man.
And I was one of them.
Right.
What offseason additions did the Hawks make at Summer League and why does continuity matter?
Instead, they go for the 6'9", power forward who can crash the offensive glass and rebound. High motor. High motor, which kind of fits into the Onyeka Kongu. Identity-wise, I feel like both of these rookies fit really, really well.
They do. I think the other thing is they're just so versatile that you can move them up and down the lineup. I mean, I don't see Kingston necessarily being a two that often, but there is the potential that he could be slotted in there. He can play off the ball. Yes, exactly. And so Zuby, to go back to your original question about him, is just like, again, it's a similar thing where you could have him play alongside Onyeka. You could have him play alongside Jock Lawndale. You can have him play alongside Henry Vesar. And there's just some versatility there that I think the Hawks very much want in their roster. I think that's, as you mentioned, they have a type and versatility is the type.
You mentioned Vassar. I mean, he drops in the draft and falls into their lap. I think that was intended, though.
Yes, it was. Yeah. Right. From from conversations or from my understanding is that there were, you know, calls with his agent and they were able to make something happen. And he's on a, you know, second year exception deal.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–2:42
2
What offseason additions did the Hawks make at Summer League and why does continuity matter?
2:42–8:34
3
How did the Hawks’ draft picks Kingston Fleming and Zuby Ejiofor fit the team’s 'type' and playing style?
8:34–12:32
4
What role could second-round pick Henry Vasser play and how did the Hawks land him?
12:32–16:36
5
What must Jalen Johnson improve to become the Hawks’ clear leader?
16:36–18:39
6
Why did the Hawks’ role players struggle in the Knicks playoff series and who needs to step up?
18:39–22:48