NBA Notes: Hawks, Trae Young, Hornets, Heat, Kel’el Ware

Snyder emphasized the collaborative effort in this process, saying: “We’ve been intentional about that. It’s not just kind of a dream. [Young] can’t do this by himself and he knows that. No player can frankly.”

He added that Young has been actively involved in the process, “thinking about it and making those plays” to improve his efficiency within the team’s system.

• Johnson suffered a shoulder injury during Thursday’s game against the Raptors, exiting the game in the second quarter and not returning. The Hawks have announced that Johnson is out for Saturday’s game against Toronto.
• Without Johnson, the Hawks are not only facing challenges with his absence but also a difficult upcoming schedule, as reported by Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Hornets

• Second-year guard Nick Smith Jr. is potentially earning an extended spot in the Hornets’ starting lineup, according to Shane Connuck of The Charlotte Observer.
• Smith has been seeing increased minutes following Brandon Miller‘s season-ending injury.
• Hornets coach Charles Lee praised Smith, saying, “[Smith] is more than a scorer. He’s a player. He’s a great playmaker, and we’re just seeing it.”
• The 27th pick in the 2023 draft is averaging 11.8 points over his last eight games (four starts), an improvement over his season average of 6.1 points.

Heat

First-year center Kel’el Ware of the Heat is quietly moving up the rookie rankings and is now considered a candidate for the Rookie of the Year award.

Ware started the second half of a blowout win against the Spurs on Jan. 19, scoring 25 points.

He has since been promoted to the starting lineup, playing alongside Bam Adebayo, who has slid down to the four spot.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra praised the duo’s performance, stating: “If there’s something that’s obvious, and it’s working in a big way, let’s do it,” per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst.

• In his three games playing extended minutes next to Adebayo, Ware is averaging 22.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and shooting 52.9% from the field, while attempting 6.0 three-pointers per game.
• His improvement has been particularly noticeable in January, where he is averaging 13.6 points and 7.0 rebounds across 13 games.
• A Western Conference scout noted, “There’s not a better organization for him to have gone to than that one.”