Instant Takeaways From The Atlanta Hawks Preseason Loss to the Houston Rockets

The Hawks' offense looked encouraging when the main roster of starters and role players took the floor, as they shot the ball efficiently and moved the ball at a high level against Houston's zone defense. The Hawks finished the first half with 17 team assists, shooting 66% from the field and 53% from three-point range, which shows that the effort the Hawks put into the offseason is paying off. The Hawks had three players make it in double figures, as Jalen Johnson scored 14, Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 13, and Onyeka Okongwu scored 18, all on efficient shooting.

2. Defense needs work still

In the first half, the Hawks found themselves struggling defensively, as they gave up many easy shots to Houston. Many times, the Rockets got up open shots, with most of them coming from three-point range as they shot 62% from the field and 62% from three in the first half. In the second half, Houston continued its efficient shooting, as it shot over 40% from three-point range and nearly 50% from the field, with four players finishing in double figures, ultimately leading to a win for Houston.

3. Trae Young efficient near double-double performance

Trae Young looked exciting when playing tonight, as he finished with his usual near double-double performance of nine points and 10 assists. The biggest takeaway from Young's performance is his efficiency, as he has struggled with that in the past few seasons and stated in training camp that he was looking to improve upon it this upcoming season. Young finished shooting 50% from the field, 50% from three-point range, and 100% from the free-throw line, which led to a plus-minus rating of 7.

4. Jalen Johnson plays well in first game since January

One of the many bright spots on this young up-and-coming Hawks roster is none other than Jalen Johnson, who hasn't played against an opposing team since January of this year before tearing his labrum. In tonight's game, Johnson looked even better than before as he had multiple highlight plays on both offense and defense, finishing the game with 11 points, two steals, and two blocks on 62% shooting from the field and 50% shooting from three-point range. One of Johnson's standout moments was when he blocked Josh Okogie's shot and then ran down the other end and bull rushed into Amen Thompson before converting the and-one layup attempt.

5. Kristaps Porzingis struggles in his first performance with Atlanta

While coming to a new team generally takes time to get used to, there is still something to be said about being in control of your own game. Tonight, Porzingis found himself struggling to get in rhythm on both ends of the court, as he finished with five points, 33% shooting from the field, missed all three of his attempts from the three-point line, and shot 25% from the free-throw line. However, the biggest concern was that he racked up four fouls before the end of the second quarter. Nevertheless, we must remember that it is preseason, so things could significantly change once the regular season gets underway.

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