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Instant Takeaways: Hawks Push Past Grizzlies as Young Core Continues to Shine in Vegas
May 14, 2025; Chicago, Il, USA; Asa Newell talks to the media during the 2025 NBA Draft Combine at Marriott Marquis Chicago. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images David Banks-Imagn Images

Instant Takeaways: Hawks Push Past Grizzlies as Young Core Continues to Shine in Vegas

Originally posted on Atlanta Hawks on SI
By Kahlil McCuller  |  Last updated Jul 17, 2025 9:42 PM ET

The Atlanta Hawks came into this game as undefeated favorites looking to improve to 4-0 and make it to the Summer League Playoffs. However, similar to the other games, the Hawks struggled to pull this one out against another struggling team this summer, the Memphis Grizzlies, and this one was nothing short of a good, back-and-forth battle between both teams.

1. Turnovers and defensive laps

Throughout this game, it was very similar to all the others this summer, as the Hawks continued to start slowly, turning the ball over and going scoreless, which allowed the Grizzlies to get out to a quick and easy lead. To end the first half, the Hawks turned the ball over 10 times and only led by two points, primarily due to Memphis being given scoring opportunities inside the paint. These problems then continued into the second half, as the Hawks allowed the Grizzlies to come back late after they went on an 8-0 scoring run to take the lead due to sloppy offense, eventually leading to loss of coverage off screens, which resulted in some easy dunks and layups in both half-court and transition play, as well as a lack of hustle on the defensive glass.

2. Asa Newell

Newell continued to impress today, as he has been a consistent all-around presence for the Hawks, mainly due to his ability to play through contact, both scoring and on the boards. Newell finished the day with another dominant performance on both ends of the court, posting a stat line of 14 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks. He also had a couple of memorable dunks that gave some fans the feeling that he shows flashes of Jalen Johnson, which has led to even more excitement about the potential he has to be a big part of the Hawks roster this season.

3. Another rough shooting performance from Kobe Bufkin but he stepped up big late

While Bufkin did show up again in the clutch tonight, he still didn't have the ideal shooting performance and has continued to raise questions about whether he is a good fit for the roster. Although he had some clear poor moments in this game, Bufkin did help out with his work on the glass and some playmaking, finishing with six defensive rebounds and two assists to go along with an inefficient 14 points. After his first Summer League game last week, Bufkin has not looked the same since then, but there is still room for him on the Hawks roster due to his defensive prowess and his ability to play hard or even be a scoring threat at times.

4. Jack McVeigh

McVeigh has maintained his exemplary performance in the Summer League so far, averaging 16 points on efficient shooting splits of 44/37/87%. He has been a central spark plug for this Hawks team off the bench and has been one of the more consistent fun players to watch on this Summer League team due to his ability to get hot at any moment with his long-range shooting. Tonight, however, he finished with 20 points off three made three-pointers on 54% shooting from the field.

More Atlanta Hawks News:

NBA Free Agency: Atlanta Hawks Reportedly Sign Elite Free Agent Three-Point Shooter

From the G League to the Main Roster: Nikola Đurišić's Poise has Turned Heads in the Summer League

Updated Atlanta Hawks Starting Lineup and Depth Chart Projection Following Recent Signings


This article first appeared on Atlanta Hawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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