Atlanta kept rolling in Summer League, and even with several key names sitting out, the Hawks had enough firepower to handle Boston and extend their winning streak to five straight.
The biggest reason was Kobe Johnson. He has been turning heads all summer, and this was another strong argument for why he belongs in the mix for Atlanta’s final two-way spot.
The Hawks already have Keshon Gilbert and RayJ Dennis in two of those slots for next season, and they’re still searching for a third developmental piece. Johnson made a loud case.
With Atlanta short-handed against the Celtics, he took control early and never really let go. In just 13 first-half minutes, Johnson poured in 19 points on 7-10 shooting and 3-4 from beyond the arc.
That shooting touch was the most encouraging part of the night, and he kept it going after halftime. By the end, he was arguably Atlanta’s best player on the floor.
Johnson finished with 30 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. His defense has long been part of the appeal, but over the past week he’s shown real offensive growth too, and that’s what’s making this feel like more than just a nice Summer League run.
Henri Veesaar also delivered in a big way. With Atlanta missing so many of its bigs, the rookie had the stage to himself, and he made the most of it. Veesaar scored 20 points on 7-12 shooting, including 4-6 from three, while adding four rebounds and three assists.
He did his best work as a scorer, spacing the floor and finishing out of the pick and roll. It was the kind of showing that helps explain why the Hawks moved up to grab him in the second round. If this development carries into the season, he may be closer to NBA minutes than people first expected.
Even without Kingston Flemings, Asa Newell, and Zuby Ejiofor, Atlanta didn’t have much trouble putting Boston away. The Celtics were missing a few important players too, but the Hawks controlled the game anyway and were threatening to push the lead to 30 in the second half.
The shot-making was there. The defense forced turnovers.
Boston never got comfortable from deep. All in all, it was one of Atlanta’s cleanest wins of the summer.
In Other News...
Ranking The Hawks Moves That Could Define This Front Office
The Hawks spent the offseason trying to thread a tricky needle: get better now without losing sight of what comes next. That meant swinging big for Aaron Wiggins from Oklahoma City at the cost of two first-round picks, then turning around and adding three rookies with the No. 8, No. 23 and No. 57 selections while also keeping familiar veterans around on one-year deals to stabilize the rotation.
There is a clear logic to the mix, even if the front office is still waiting to see how it all fits together. CJ McCollum gives Atlanta another proven shot creator, Jock Landale adds insurance behind Onyeka Okongwu, and Mouhamed Gueyes option keeps a developmental piece in place, but the move that may say the most about where the Hawks are headed is the one for Devin Carter, a former lottery pick whose defensive upside could make him another useful layer in the bench picture. [Read more 🡒]
What The Hawks Really Preserved In The Jock Landale Deal
The Hawks move for Jock Landale came with more than just a new big man on the roster. As part of the broader contract picture around the deal, Landale, Jordan Clarkson and Charles Bassey all agreed to waive the implicit no-trade protection in their contracts, a small but meaningful detail that gives teams more flexibility down the road. For Atlanta, that kind of cleanup matters almost as much as the player acquisition itself, especially when every roster move has to be weighed against future cap maneuvering.
Landales agreement also fits into a wider league-wide run of contract housekeeping, with details emerging on players such as Trey Lyles, Jaylen Clark, Marcus Smart, Norman Powell, Ousmane Dieng, Jaxson Hayes, Josh Okogie and Jusuf Nurkic. One of the more interesting side notes for the Hawks is how little room the deal leaves in their non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which is the sort of constraint that can shape the rest of a teams offseason just as much as the headline move. [Read more 🡒]
Mouhamed Gueye Suddenly Faces A Real Hawks Rotation Threat
Mouhamed Gueye has given the Hawks something to like on the defensive end, where his length and activity have helped him carve out a place on the roster conversation. Atlanta also recently picked up his one-year team option, a sign that the organization still sees value in keeping him around, even as the bigger question remains whether his game can grow enough on the other side of the floor to make him more than a situational piece.
Now the pressure is coming from a different direction, with rookies Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar turning heads in summer league and adding more bodies to a frontcourt mix that is starting to feel crowded. For Gueye, the path forward is pretty clear: keep defending, cut down the mistakes, and show enough offensive progress to stay ahead of the newcomers, because if that part of his game stalls, Atlanta may start looking at its options sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]