Instant Takeaways: The Atlanta Hawks Show Promise in Summer League Win vs. Miami Heat

2. Poor Shooting

The Hawks kept things close throughout, but the primary factor that kept the game close was their inability to shoot the ball from beyond the arc. The Hawks finished shooting as a team 23% from three-point range and 42% from the field, which almost led to them losing this game. This win, however, was mainly fueled by more second-half scoring from Bufkin as he closed the game, scoring 19 points in the second half after scoring 10 in the first half.

3. Promise Shown For Young Talent

The Hawks had plenty of talent step up throughout the roster, as Bufkin, Asa Newell, and Eli Ndiaye all played reasonably well. Other notable players to mention are Jacob Toppin and Adam Flagler, who both scored in double digits. Toppin finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Bufkin finished with 29 points, a steal, and two blocks. Newell had a near double-double statline of eight points and eight rebounds to go along with two steals. N'Diaye had a solid showing in his first NBA-style action, scoring 12 points, grabbing six rebounds, stealing the ball once, and blocking one shot to finish with a +8 plus-minus off the bench, which indicates a player's impact on the game, good or bad.

4. Defensive Miscues

The Hawks struggled with defensive sets, as there were times when the Heat were getting easy open opportunities to score. For much of the game, the Hawks allowed the Heat to be in the bonus for free throw opportunities, leading Miami to attempt 25 free throws and Nikola Djurisic nearly fouling out with eight fouls, with the player's foul limit being 10 for Summer League. In the first half, the Hawks also struggled to contain the Heat's first-round draft pick, Kasparas Jakucionis, who had a strong start, scoring 19 points in the first half. This hot start, however, did not continue for the rookie, as he only scored five points in the second half, finishing with 24 points. This comes after he finished his first game going 0-5 from the field and 0-4 from three-point range to go along with four turnovers against the Warriors.

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