Summer League wrapped up the way Atlanta didn’t want it to: with a loss to Washington and a roster that looked more like a finish line than a push for momentum.
The Hawks closed their run in Las Vegas at 3-2, and while that record still gives them plenty to point to, the last stretch of games took some shine off the trip. Atlanta had already moved on from its early hot start by sitting several of its top names down the stretch, and that decision showed again tonight.
Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor, Jacob Toppin, Asa Newell, RayJ Dennis, Keshon Gilbert, and Isaac McKneely were all unavailable, leaving the Hawks to work with an eight-man rotation. That meant the final two games of Summer League were played without much of the talent that helped fuel the stronger opening.
One of the main pieces on the floor was Veesaar, the Hawks’ second-round pick at No. 52, and his night came with the usual rookie volatility. He finished 1-8 from the field and 0-3 from deep in 23 minutes, but he also chipped in four rebounds and two blocks. The turnovers piled up, though, with four on the stat sheet, even as he ended the game at +16.
Atlanta would have liked a cleaner performance from him, but overall his Summer League can still be filed as a solid one.
The biggest scoring punch for the Hawks came from Devon Higgs, who matched Washington’s John Camden with a game-high 22 points. Higgs went 8-17 from the floor and 1-7 from three, and he also posted a team-best +19.
The Hawks’ bench had a rough night, and that was a major reason the game slipped away. Higgs may not be in Atlanta’s long-term plans, but he gave the team a strong final showing to close out Summer League.
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