There wasn’t much to like in the Hawks‘ 116-110 opening-night loss to the Hornets. The offense never clicked as Trae Young and Dejounte Murray struggled mightily.
Atlanta’s backcourt combined to shoot 7-of-33 on Wednesday night. Young only connected on one three-point shot, which came at the end of the game. He wasn’t getting into the paint and couldn’t get his patented floater going at all.
Murray’s struggles were even more pronounced. The former All-Star finished with 11 points and six assists while providing a fraction of the impact he’s capable of giving.
They weren’t the only ones, though. De’Andre Hunter was a non-factor. He connected on 4-of-9 shots from the field and 1-of-4 from three-point range. The Hawks didn’t convert a single corner three, and Hunter missed several of them, which were wide open.
If the Hawks want to capture a top-six seed, Hunter needs to have a more prominent role. Obviously, the club isn’t going to win many games when their best two players combine to shoot for 7-of-33, but that’s not going to happen very often.
It was an ugly performance from Quin Snyder’s team, but there was a lone bright spot — Jalen Johnson.
The former first-round pick racked up a career-high 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field and 1-of-3 from range, adding seven rebounds, two assists, one block, and one steal.
JJ looked comfortable in all facets of the game. He was efficient around the basket, running the floor, defending, and everywhere in between. The Hawks have one of the deeper benches in the NBA, but Jalen Johnson might be in the starting lineup by season’s end.
The Duke product has a legitimate chance of making noise in the Most Improved Player of the Year award race. It’s just one game, but the sky seems to be the limit for the physical specimen. In an otherwise ugly loss for the Hawks, Jalen Johnson provided plenty of encouragement.
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Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
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