The Hawks got the kind of opening-night win that says a lot about their depth, even if one of their cleaner strengths didn’t show up the way it usually does.
Atlanta beat Orlando despite a rough shooting night from a pair of players who are supposed to stretch the floor and keep defenses honest. Jalen Johnson went 0-for-4 from three, and Onyeka Okongwu matched that exact line. Dyson Daniels also came up empty from deep, though that fits a little more naturally given his 18.8% mark from three last season.
That didn’t stop the Hawks from finding enough offense elsewhere. As a team, they shot 39% from beyond the arc, and Johnson and Daniels still finished with 20 points apiece. Johnson and Okongwu were part of the plan offensively, but Atlanta didn’t need either of them to catch fire from long range to come away with the win.
That’s the larger takeaway for Quin Snyder’s group: the versatility is real. On defense, Atlanta can throw different looks at bigger and smaller players.
On offense, the Hawks have enough ball-handling, passing and spacing to survive a cold spell from range when it hits. Opening night against Orlando was a reminder that not every shooting night will be tidy, and not every game will feature the same heroes.
For Okongwu, the box score was quieter than usual. For Johnson and Daniels, the scoring still came without the perimeter touch. The Hawks found a way anyway.
Now they move on to another road game, this one against the Charlotte Hornets, with Atlanta sitting right alongside the Philadelphia 76ers at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. That may not stay that way for long, but for now, the Hawks can bank the result and look ahead to a chance to show that their offseason work from deep will start paying off sooner rather than later.
In Other News...
Hawks Face One Big Test In A Divisional Spot They Should Control
The Hawks head into a divisional matchup with a chance to do what good teams are supposed to do: take care of business against a shorthanded opponent. Charlotte arrives missing key pieces, and Atlanta has the sort of profile that can make that absence matter, especially if the Hawks use their rebounding edge and active defense to control the game before the Hornets can settle in. With the standings in mind and the division always carrying a little extra weight, this is the kind of spot Atlanta should be able to manage if it brings the right energy from the opening tip.
The bigger question is whether the Hawks can turn those strengths into the kind of disruptive night that short-circuits Charlotte's offense. For Atlanta, that means forcing turnovers, getting stops in transition and leaning on the all-around impact Jalen Johnson has provided, even as his recent outing against Orlando showed how uneven things can get when shot-making and foul trouble start to creep in. The Hawks do not need a perfect performance here, but they do need a disciplined one, because a game this manageable can become a lot more interesting if they let it hang around. [Read more 🡒]