Hawks

atlarehmann

The Hawks had to go into their first-ever In-Season Tournament game while shorthanded.

"We were missing a big part of our team – the head of the snake – Trae Young," Dejounte Murray said afterward.

Trae missed the game for personal&nbsp;reasons after announcing the birth of his second child, Teal, on social&nbsp;media yesterday, and even though he was away, he tweeted a quick, 'Let's Go Hawks!' at the game's tipoff.&nbsp;

From that point onward, Dejounte gave the Hawks what they needed in every aspect of the game: 32 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. In the process, he became the first player in the NBA this season with at least 30 points, 10 assists, 5 boards and 3 steals in a single game. He did it while making every free throw attempt, only turning the ball over twice, and making his presence felt on the ball defensively.

"DJ on the ball&nbsp;tonight, that was maybe the biggest contribution that he made," Head Coach Quin Snyder said.&nbsp;

In Trae's absence, the Hawks also had to go a&nbsp;little deeper into their bench. Trent Forrest had 2 points, 4 assists and 0 turnovers in 13 minutes while giving the Hawks another competent defender at the point of attack. Garrison Mathews and AJ Griffin each hit threes in the first half, and Saddiq Bey finished as the Hawks' second-leading scorer with 19 points while doing a&nbsp;little bit of everything in his 27 minutes.

With their first In-Season Tournament win, the Hawks (1-0) moved into second place among the five teams of East Group A. They face third-place Philadelphia (1-1) at home Friday, before taking on first-place Indiana (2-0) Tuesday, also at home, before closing out Group Play on the road in Cleveland.

The top team from each of the six groups advances to the&nbsp;Knockout Rounds of the In-Season Tournament with two additional&nbsp;wild card teams rounding out the group of eight to advance.&nbsp;The wild card will&nbsp;be the team from each conference with the best record in Group Play games that finished second in its group.

As the Hawks get further into the In-Season Tournament, certainly the Hawks would&nbsp;love to have Trae back&nbsp;in action, but in any case, Dejounte Murray remains as a worthy head of the snake in his own right.&nbsp;

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Hawks Soar in In-Season Tournament Opener Behind Dejounte Murray's Brilliance

Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks enter the NBA 2K24 Summer League 2023 with a talented young squad that is hungry to win and improve. The team is headlined by the Hawks three 2023 draftees in Kobe Bufkin (No. 15 overall), Mouhamed Gueye (No. 39) and Seth Lundy (No. 46). “Young vets” like AJ Griffin, Tyrese Martin and Vit Krejci give this team a mixture of experience and leadership. 

Kobe&nbsp;Bufkin: Despite his slender build at 6’4,&nbsp;195 pounds, the rookie guard&nbsp;is a game changer on both sides of the ball.&nbsp;He combines his natural speed with&nbsp;a high IQ to control the game.&nbsp;Coming off his sophomore season at Michigan averaging 14.0 points,&nbsp;4.5 rebounds&nbsp;and 2.9 assists,&nbsp;Bufkin&nbsp;showcased his ability to play on and off the ball. Using his speed and decisiveness to get to his&nbsp;spots,&nbsp;he knocked&nbsp;down .482% of his shots from the field and .355% from deep. His speed translates on defense as well, allowing him to make plays&nbsp;and get his team out in transition. He averaged 1.3 steals in his sophomore season translating to instant offense for his squad.&nbsp;

Bufkin’s&nbsp;key to success&nbsp;is his mentality. He has a high motor and work ethic to match. He&nbsp;is constantly focused on improvement as seen by the drastic jump&nbsp;between his freshman and sophomore years at Michigan,&nbsp;increasing his&nbsp;point total&nbsp;by&nbsp;+11.0&nbsp;(3.0 to 14.0), rebounds by +3.4 (1.1 to 4.5) and steals by +0.9 (0.4 to 1.3). When asked what his approach to&nbsp;summer&nbsp;league is,&nbsp;the rookie expressed his desire to&nbsp;“soak up that information and apply it.” Look for&nbsp;Bufkin&nbsp;to be a major contributor&nbsp;on both sides of the ball for&nbsp;the Hawks.&nbsp;

Mouhamed Gueye: On first glance,&nbsp;Mouhamed Gueye looks like your classic&nbsp;lanky&nbsp;big man standing at 6’11&nbsp;and weighing only&nbsp;210 pounds, but he is much more than that. A former soccer player, Gueye moves&nbsp;with the fluidity of&nbsp;a guard despite his&nbsp;stature. The Dakar, Senegal native exhibits a sneaky athletic prowess in his offensive game. Coming off his sophomore season at Washington State, Gueye averaged 14.3 points per game on .513% from the field, using a variety of midrange pull ups and post moves.&nbsp;Gueye’s size makes him a consistent double-double threat. He&nbsp;put up&nbsp;a&nbsp;Pac-12 leading 15 double-doubles during his sophomore season.&nbsp;

His defense is an underrated part of his game.&nbsp;His 7 '4 wingspan poses a daunting task for any offensive player that tries to attack the paint or get a shot over him.&nbsp;Gueye plans to “be patient and let the game come to him” in the upcoming Summer League.&nbsp;

Seth Lundy: Lundy&nbsp;has shown&nbsp;elite shooting ability&nbsp;as a collegian&nbsp;as he tallied career highs from the field (.450%) and from deep (.400%) in his senior year at Penn State.&nbsp;After averaging 14.2 points and 6.3 rebounds in his final season, Lundy broke into the all-time ranks.&nbsp;With&nbsp;his next level scoring ability,&nbsp;he left Penn State ranked sixth all-time in&nbsp;made&nbsp;three-pointers (229), ninth in career free throw percentage (.814%)&nbsp;and 20th&nbsp;in career points (1,283).&nbsp;The Paulsboro, New Jersey native is&nbsp;much more than&nbsp;a spot up shooter,&nbsp;though. He&nbsp;can also put the ball on the floor and create his own shot.&nbsp;Along with his shooting, Lundy is sneaky athletic and is known for the occasional slam to remind his opponents of it.&nbsp;

Confidence is everything for the best shooters.&nbsp;Lundy has that in abundance. Describing his confidence&nbsp;“at an all-time high right now,” the second rounder looks to take that confidence and turn it into wins. His toughness and winning mentality were&nbsp;a couple&nbsp;of the things that stuck out the most before the draft&nbsp;to the Hawks front office.&nbsp;

AJ Griffin: Griffin is the most experienced player on the roster as far as games&nbsp;played&nbsp;go,&nbsp;appearing&nbsp;in&nbsp;72 games&nbsp;for the Hawks in the 2022-23 season.&nbsp;The&nbsp;now-sophomore guard&nbsp;averaged 8.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 19.5 minutes of action on the season.&nbsp;Griffin&nbsp;left his mark&nbsp;with his consistent shooting from deep, hitting&nbsp;at a .390%&nbsp;clip, second-most among rookies. His craftiness around the&nbsp;basket&nbsp;and three-level scoring ability&nbsp;makes&nbsp;him a problem for any opposing defense. Griffin is no stranger to taking the big shot either as he was responsible for two of the Hawks game winners last season, against the Raptors and&nbsp;Bulls&nbsp;respectively.&nbsp;His 6-foot-6,&nbsp;222-lb&nbsp;frame&nbsp;and&nbsp;his&nbsp;toughness&nbsp;makes&nbsp;him a prominent presence on the defensive end.&nbsp;

Despite only being&nbsp;19 years old&nbsp;and younger than some of his teammates, Griffin brings leadership and experience, and is embracing his role as the “young vet.”&nbsp;When asked what he wants to get out of this&nbsp;summer&nbsp;league experience, Griffin was adamant about “becoming a better overall player and taking on more of a leadership role and being more vocal.&nbsp;The Dallas, Texas native will suit up for his first&nbsp;summer&nbsp;league competition after not playing last year due to injury.&nbsp;

Tyrese Martin: Martin&nbsp;is the definition of a “microwave.” When the second-year guard gets it going, he is a nightmare to stop. In his 30 games with the College Park Skyhawks, the Hawks’&nbsp;G League affiliate, Martin averaged 18.1 points on .502%&nbsp;and .352%&nbsp;three-point&nbsp;shooting splits. He also went off for a team&nbsp;record 46 points against the Grand Rapids Gold, pouring in nine three-pointers (9-14&nbsp;3FG) tying another team record.&nbsp;He is aggressive in transition and has no problem using his athleticism to throw down some thunderous dunks on the break.&nbsp;As one of the best shooters on the team, the Allentown, Pennsylvania native is sure to be someone&nbsp;to watch out for.&nbsp;

Outside of scoring,&nbsp;the 6’6 guard/forward&nbsp;also does the dirty work of fighting for rebounds. Averaging just under nine rebounds per game (8.9), Martin is dedicated to getting involved in the game anyway he can. He recorded 13 double-doubles&nbsp;on&nbsp;the season, including a season-high 15 rebounds to go along with 15 points against the Raptors 905 on 3/17/23. Be on the lookout for the UCONN&nbsp;product&nbsp;to be an&nbsp;effective scorer in the halfcourt and in transition.&nbsp;

Vit Krejci:&nbsp;Krejci is a&nbsp;familiar face for the Hawks after appearing in 29 games for the clubduring the 2022-23 campaign.&nbsp;He&nbsp;was&nbsp;also featured in three games with the Skyhawks,averaging 9.0&nbsp;points&nbsp;and 9.7&nbsp;rebounds&nbsp;in 33.9 minutes on .400 FG% and .333 3FG% shooting. With two years of experience under his belt and his international experience from suiting up for&nbsp;Casademont&nbsp;Zaragoza (Spain), he&nbsp;provides&nbsp;this team another veteran presence.&nbsp;

At 6’7&nbsp;and&nbsp;215&nbsp;pounds,&nbsp;Krejci can put the ball on the floor and occasionally run&nbsp;the&nbsp;offense.&nbsp;In his 30 games&nbsp;with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2021-22 season, he&nbsp;averaged 6.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists as a rookie.

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Hawks Gear Up for Summer League: Young Stars Set to Shine

atlmrose

John Collins put up 23 points and grabs 14 rebounds in tonight's game against the Miami Heat.

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Collins Puts Up 23 Points vs Heat

atlafinberg

Dre finished with 24 points, 2-3 3-PT FG, 10-10 FT

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Hunter Notches 24 in Win Over Bucks

Capela finished with 15 points and 19 rebounds.

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Capela Puts Up 19 Rebound Double-Double vs. Jazz

College Students Learn Importance of Implementing Diverse and Inclusive Leadership Principles Through One-Day Seminar

ATLANTA –&nbsp;Earlier today, the Atlanta Hawks and Papa Johns hosted an interactive workshop entitled, ‘Why Inclusive Leaders are Good for Organizations and How to Become One,’ for students from surrounding universities at Morehouse College. This interactive workshop was geared toward students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and taught what inclusive leadership looks like and how it creates positive and productive work environments that encourage the success of team members, organizations and the communities they serve.

“It’s essential for students to learn the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion not only in the workplace but also in their current leadership spaces,” said Hawks’ Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility Andrea Carter. “Through sharing our stories and insights, we hope to grow students as future leaders who make others feel heard, respected and valued.”

The workshop began with representatives from the Hawks’ ‘True To You’ Career Center and Papa Johns to discuss career opportunities and professional development. Then, the workshop continued with guest speakers Dr. Derek Greenfield, a diversity, equity and inclusion expert as well as an HBCU Administrator, and Nicholas Payne, HBCU graduate and serial entrepreneur, who discussed the importance of inclusive leadership in the workplace. Following this session, Dr. Greenfield led the students through a small group activity to practice inclusive leadership and further their practical knowledge of diversity, equity and inclusion.

“At, Papa Johns, we celebrate everyone’s unique flavor,” said Papa Johns Director of Corporate Affairs and Corporate Responsibility Jenn Garner. “By partnering to host this workshop with the Atlanta Hawks, a team that brings together fans of all ages and backgrounds from across the region, we hope to empower the next generation of leaders in building more inclusive and diverse communities.”

Later in the morning, Dr. Greenfield and local social media influencer Christina ‘Ms. Basketball’ Granville moderated a panel to further discuss inclusive leadership in the 21st century. This panel featured Morehouse College alumnus and Hawks Director of Live Programming and Video Production Andre Hickman and Papa Johns Manager of Multicultural and Branding Amanda Moore. To wrap up the event, Papa Johns provided lunch for a short roundtable discussion for students to reflect on the workshop.

In February, the Hawks announced a multi-year exclusive partnership with Papa Johns to become the team’s official pizza partner. Friday’s workshop is a part of the Hawks and Papa Johns ‘Business of Basketball’ events, which are focused on youth, inclusive leadership and engagement with the area’s HBCUs. Additionally, the partnership focuses on positively impacting the community in multiple ways including ‘Hawks Spirit Days’, memorable experiences for youth at select Community Centers around Atlanta.To learn more about the Hawks’ work in the community, visit&nbsp;Hawks.com/community.&nbsp;

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Hawks and Papa Johns Lead Local Students Through 'Interactive Workshop on Inclusive Leadership'

atlnhooker

Bogdanovic has been on a tear since April 1: 22.0 points per game while shooting 50.6 percent from the field and 49.5 percent from three. In the same span of six weeks, he leads the Eastern Conference in total threes made: 101. Improved connectivity between Trae, an unbelievable passer, and Bogdanovic, a stone-cold shooter, has been a huge factor. 

If Trae now senses precisely where Bogdanovic is on the court at all times, it still may not always be a good thing. Against Portland last week, Trae fielded an outlet pass in the backcourt and intuited that Bogdanovic would cut to an open corner in the frontcourt. 

"He knows I'm going to be open there, so he passed it ahead," Bogdanovic said. "He passed it like a second early. I don't mind."

trae-and-bogdan-pushed-each-other-into-the-playoff-picture

Trae and Bogdan Pushed Each Other Into the Playoff Picture

atllmartin

For more than five years, SCANA Energy and the Atlanta Hawks have teamed up to host basketball clinics with appearances from Harry the Hawk, Hawks ATL Dancers and current Hawks players at numerous schools across the state to encourage physical activity and good grades.

This year, in lieu of in-person activations, the Atlanta Hawks are donating fitness kits to support SCANA Energy Homework Centers. Each fitness kit includes: a Hawks basketball, Hawks jump rope and two activity sheets curated by the Hawks at Home youth basketball team. The kits will be delivered to the nine schools where SCANA Energy’s homework centers are stationed to ensure their students have the necessary tools to stay active.