Hawks practice

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The 2014 Atlanta Hawks training camp is in the books, with the team having completed five practices in a three-day span.  For the second straight year, the Hawks held the first days of camp in Athens, Ga. on the campus of the University of Georgia.

After watching practices and talking to players and coaches, here are five things we took away from camp:

1)  This team is further along than last year

This may seem obvious considering Coach Bud has 12 players returning, but it's probably the most important takeaway from camp.  Whereas last year Coach Bud was trying to introduce a new system to a relatively new group, the team was already running headed into this year's camp, and it showed during the scrimmages.  Players were running the offense, moving the ball and playing team defense.

2)  Al Horford is getting closer to 100%

Though he was held out of contact drills this week, Horford said he's getting closer to feeling 100 percent.  Coach Bud said he will slowly work Horford into contact situations, starting with 1-on-1 drills and progressing to 5-on-5.  The plan is still to have him ready to play on opening night in Toronto.

Kent Bazemore hasn't been in contact drills yet as he continues rehab on his foot, but the returning players have been impressed with both Thabo Sefolosha and Adreian Payne.  Each drew high praise when we asked others how they're doing picking up the offense.  Both players figure to get minutes off the bench, and both said it's nice to have so many returning players to help teach them the system.

4)  The best FIFA player on the team is...TBD

There's a battle amongst some of the players as to who is the best FIFA gamer.  The team had a chance to bond at night while staying in Athens, and a handful of them said they played FIFA.  Bazemore was quoted as saying he was the "FIFA King," but Mike Scott quickly refuted that claim by pointing out that he lost to Dennis Schröder.  Paul Millsap and Mike Muscala have also laid claim to being the best, so it appears we'll have to sort this out with a tournament at some point this season.

4-things-we-learned-from-training-camp

4 Things We Learned From Training Camp

The Atlanta Hawks will tip off their Summer League schedule on Saturday, and there's plenty of intrigue around this year's team.

The Players:  The Hawks have several intriguing players on the roster, including 2014 draft picks Adreian Payne, Edy Tavares and Lamar Patterson.  John Jenkins and Mike Muscala both return for another year of Summer League action, and Dennis Schröder looks to build on his rookie year with more Summer League experience.  Those are at least five names fans will recognize assuming they all play.  You can see the full roster here.

The Coaches: Darvin Ham is Atlanta's coach in Las Vegas after Quin Snyder accepted the head coaching job with the Utah Jazz.  Assistants Taylor Jenkins and Kenny Atkinson will also be in Vegas.  NBA head coaches usually don't coach the Summer League games, but Mike Budenholzer will most certainly be watching some if not all of the games from the stands, as well as have some involvement with practices.

The Schedule: The Hawks will play the Washington Wizards at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, the D-League team at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday and the Portland Trail Blazers at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday.  The NBA seeds the 24 teams based on performance in the three preliminary games for a tournament that starts on Wednesday, and a consolation bracket as part of that gurantees every team five games.  You can see them all on League Pass, and the game against the Blazers will also air on NBA TV.  See the complete schedule here.

The Practices: Atlanta begins practice Wednesday in Las Vegas and will hold several prior to the first game, as well as one on Sunday.  This is where the real work is done, as new players get a taste of Coach Bud's system.

Hawks.com will have comprehensive coverage of the team throughout the event.

Hawks practice

4 Things We Learned From Training Camp

Hawks Tip Off Summer League Saturday