The Atlanta Hawks didn’t have enough money to bring back DeMarre Carroll but they re-signed Paul Millsap to keep along with a core that features Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, Al Horford and Dennis Schroder. Then they also added veteran center Tiago Splitter too but given how the season ended in the Eastern Conference final, they know they need more help. With the team being tight up against the cap, they’ll had to find some diamonds in the rough and try to improve the old fashioned way.
Summer League head coach Kenny Atkinson has expressed his happiness about how some of the Hawks players have developed in the tournaments and while he might not have much room to add to the team’s regular season roster, there is no doubt that four players in particular stood out and will have a shot.
Lamar Patterson, Shooting Guard
The 2014 second-round pick is the favorite to snag a roster spot out of this group because he is already signed by the team and has been an incredibly consistent shooter overall. Patterson averaged 12 points, five rebounds and three assists in Summer League action and led the Hawks Summer League team in scoring. His consistency on three-point shots makes him a very dangerous scoring option. Atlanta is built with some very talented shooters – including Korver and Teague – but they could definitely use more depth in that area. We saw that after Korver went down in the conference finals. Keeping Patterson would be the smart option. He spent last season in Turkey and with a quality performance in Summer League, he could be a key contributor off the bench next season.
Terran Petteway, Small Forward
Petteway has certainly done enough in Summer League play to earn a roster spot. He’s exceeded expectations and considering the Hawks have an obvious need at the position, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he made the team. He will have to make better choices overall at the offensive end of the floor but considering he averaged 10 points, four rebounds and three assists as a high energy player that will never be outworked, the Hawks might see some Carroll in him. He can even hit threes like Carroll too. Even if the Hawks don’t keep him, he’s likely to get a shot somewhere else.
Mike Muscala, Center
Muscala is listed as a center on the team’s depth chart but could figure in to the Hawks rotation as a power forward after making a strong impression in the Summer League. Muscala needs to work on his efficiency at the offensive end of the floor but he is a hard worker that hit 55% percent of his shots in 40 appearances for Atlanta last season. The problem is that he really didn’t register on the radar – especially when he saw an increased role in the second round of the playoffs last season. Before Summer League action, he was basically an emergency depth guy but it looked like he developed his jump shot a little bit and showed more strength in the pain. The addition of Splitter could limit Muscala’s minutes but he figures in as a role player this season.
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Glenn Robinson III, Power Forward
Although Robinson didn’t make an impact in the NBA last season, he did take a major step forward in the D-League. While his lack of range could hold him back in the long run, he has shown enough improvement since entering his second NBA season to warrant the Hawks taking a chance on him. He showed well in Summer League action but it doesn’t look good on him that the Philadelphia 76ers – a team desperate for talent – didn’t extend a qualifying offer to him at the end of the 2014-15 season. And the 76ers were actually the second of two teams that he played for. However, he does have the family name helping his brand and he was clearly the team’s best athlete in Summer League. He played big minutes in Summer League and appears to be a project that is coming around.
