1 00:00:15,519 --> 00:00:20,960 What is a fellow thermonuclear a effort. I am at Damna Valley with out 2 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:26,120 my certified vantabulous Toho's grand us. But I am as usual, super excited 3 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:31,280 and mega grateful to be joined by Lauren Williams, who covers the Atlanta Hawks 4 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:36,119 for the a j C. The Atlanta Journal Constitution follower on Twitter. I 5 00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:41,119 refused to call it the other name at Williams Lauren L spelled exactly as it 6 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:45,079 sounds. It's also on the screen if you were watching on YouTube. Lauren, 7 00:00:45,439 --> 00:00:48,159 thank you so much for returning. You were on for the Atlanta Hawks 8 00:00:48,159 --> 00:00:51,679 look Ahead last year, so I always appreciate what I'm able to get guests 9 00:00:51,759 --> 00:00:54,119 to come back. The first time, it's like you might stumble into be 10 00:00:54,159 --> 00:00:57,200 like WHOA, oh no, I'm not coming back. So I'm super excited 11 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:00,880 that you agreed to come back. How are you doing. I'm so grateful 12 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:03,599 to be back. I had a great time the last time that I was 13 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:07,799 here. We were just talking about it before you went live. I can't 14 00:01:07,799 --> 00:01:12,400 believe how fast everything has gone. You're one that the jac's already in the 15 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:17,879 books and we're onto year two. So I'm doing pretty good. Yes, 16 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:19,840 I'm glad to hear that your first season covering the team went well, especially 17 00:01:19,879 --> 00:01:25,439 because it was pretty tumultuous. Just from being you know, a million feet 18 00:01:25,439 --> 00:01:29,519 away, it seemed like there was It was just a very controversial season for 19 00:01:29,519 --> 00:01:32,760 Atlanta. I felt like, oh, one thousand percent. I always like 20 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:37,640 to joke that I feel like I went through five seasons in runs just because 21 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:42,400 you had coaching change, you had front office changes, and just like just 22 00:01:42,519 --> 00:01:47,519 so much controversy. You know, the star player not showing up for a 23 00:01:47,599 --> 00:01:51,719 game and that you know, was a misunderstanding and just a lot going on. 24 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:57,120 It's a testament to what the Hawks season was that I forgot about the 25 00:01:57,159 --> 00:02:04,000 whole tray not at the game, Yeah said, I feel like, you 26 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:06,359 know, obviously, in the grand scheme of things, that's a flip on 27 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:09,039 the radar of everything that happened. But I mean, that's that's a pretty 28 00:02:09,039 --> 00:02:13,560 big one. I don't know how anyone can kind of forget it. I 29 00:02:13,599 --> 00:02:16,439 feel like if you look at the season kind of where we're looking at it 30 00:02:16,479 --> 00:02:20,960 from, it was kind of the turning point of everything that just kind of 31 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:24,280 picked things off because that was the first major thing that happened, and then 32 00:02:24,319 --> 00:02:29,479 after that it just seemed like there was just news coming out every single month 33 00:02:29,599 --> 00:02:34,240 that there was some something going wrong in the organization, which is just for 34 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:37,199 a team that ended up with like forty one and forty one is just kind 35 00:02:37,199 --> 00:02:40,479 of wild to think about. So kind of knowing all this, what did 36 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:46,800 you make of their off season where wasn't very eventful outside of the John Collins 37 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:50,919 trade. Is there anything you're just thinking about, any themes or takeaways from 38 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:53,759 the off season that are on your mind heading into next year. Yeah. 39 00:02:53,800 --> 00:03:00,319 You know, obviously from a fan perspective, you want to see the team 40 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:05,280 get better, and of course the John Collins trade didn't necessarily make them better. 41 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:09,319 But if I'm looking at it from just kind of an outside lens, 42 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:13,240 I could see it as you know, they're kind of looking to get some 43 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:19,680 stability into this organization after such a tumultuously year last season that maybe just moving 44 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:22,960 on from maybe the longest tenured Hawk at that point, it's just kind of 45 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:25,159 the you know, the first step of trying to get some stability. And 46 00:03:25,159 --> 00:03:30,879 then you know the fact that they brought in Quinn Snyder when they did twenty 47 00:03:30,919 --> 00:03:34,800 games left in the season. I think it gives them a little bit more 48 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:39,039 of an even playing field going in just because you can't make any wholesale changes 49 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:43,120 when you're a coach coming in for the last twenty games of the regular season. 50 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:46,879 But now he's he's made a ton of changes to the coaching staff. 51 00:03:46,879 --> 00:03:51,080 He's brought in a lot of his guys, he's got a variety of or 52 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:55,520 a diverse coaching staff. Excuse me, and I mean it's it's gonna look 53 00:03:55,879 --> 00:04:00,159 a lot different in my opinion, in the sense that they're going to have 54 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:05,479 a little bit more consistency just because they have that familiar voice coming in from 55 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:10,280 the beginning of the season or even you can count from the offseason all the 56 00:04:10,319 --> 00:04:15,360 way until hopefully the postseason for this team. Do you think it sends any 57 00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:20,360 weird messaging to fans or just about the direction that John Collins became this it 58 00:04:20,439 --> 00:04:24,879 was a salary dumb in the end? Or is it because I can't go 59 00:04:24,959 --> 00:04:27,759 as far as saying it's addition by subtraction, even if they think it opens 60 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:31,560 up the offense a little bit more. And this also theoretically or technically, 61 00:04:31,639 --> 00:04:36,040 wasn't this front office regime's issue where it's you know, under travish length they 62 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:41,680 constantly kind of marginalized John Collins and changed his role, and so it reached 63 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:44,839 to the point where his value is at it's nadear, But does it still 64 00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:48,680 sort of send like an awkward message message where in fury there's this useful player 65 00:04:48,959 --> 00:04:51,600 that they just got rid of because they didn't want to pay the tax, 66 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:55,800 or if I'm being kind, they didn't want to pay the tax because of 67 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:58,920 this player. They didn't think that John Collins or this core was worth going 68 00:04:58,959 --> 00:05:01,879 into the tax for. Yeah, I think it's more so that they just 69 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:08,199 wanted a lot more flexibility moving forward because now they opened up that what twenty 70 00:05:08,199 --> 00:05:11,600 five point three million dollar trade exception with him, so they have a little 71 00:05:11,639 --> 00:05:15,079 bit more playing room to to, you know, maybe bring in somebody who's 72 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:19,000 a little less redundant in the sense of what he and Clint Capella can do. 73 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:23,759 I think when you watched that offense, you can often see that, 74 00:05:23,879 --> 00:05:27,319 you know, there was a lot of overlap with what this team wanted the 75 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:30,639 two of them to do, and and just looking at the chemistry that he 76 00:05:31,439 --> 00:05:36,040 can Capella and Trey Young seemed to have, you know, it just kind 77 00:05:36,079 --> 00:05:40,839 of netted better results in the sense that you just kind of would utilize the 78 00:05:40,839 --> 00:05:45,120 pick and roll a little bit better with those two and then with with Collins, 79 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:47,959 it just with him not shooting the ball as well as as he did, 80 00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:51,240 you know, two years ago, it just it made it difficult to 81 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:57,000 see how, you know, they could continue moving forward with not having somebody 82 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:00,839 who could shoot the three at the four position. So, you know it, 83 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:03,240 I think, you know, you just have a lot more flexibility in 84 00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:08,959 terms of how you can try to fill the gap that he's left. You 85 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:12,079 know, you can move up a guy like Jayalen Johnson who's expected to have 86 00:06:12,279 --> 00:06:15,519 a big, you know, third year going into you know this league. 87 00:06:15,319 --> 00:06:18,959 Maybe you move Sabeek Bay to the to the four. I mean, he's 88 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:23,399 not as good of a rebounder as John Collins, of course, but you 89 00:06:23,399 --> 00:06:25,839 know, if you're having a guy like Clint Capello, who's you know, 90 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:30,600 down low, you can spread things out and have to be Bay kind of 91 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:32,600 on the outside a little bit more and space the floor a little bit better. 92 00:06:32,639 --> 00:06:35,199 So yeah, it's a little bit of a salary dump, but I 93 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:41,319 think they just needed a little bit more spacing on the floor, especially when 94 00:06:41,319 --> 00:06:45,720 you're thinking about what Clint Snyder likes to do that trade exception is huge. 95 00:06:45,759 --> 00:06:47,519 I will say, just based off how they went about the rest of their 96 00:06:47,519 --> 00:06:53,360 off season, I personally will be flabbergasted if they use that at least during 97 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:56,040 the season. Maybe after the season they'll have like that small window, but 98 00:06:56,439 --> 00:06:59,000 I'll be floored if they want. But that's a huge Like, that's a 99 00:06:59,079 --> 00:07:04,160 huge flexible will asset that they just have sitting there exactly. Quinn Snyder hired 100 00:07:04,319 --> 00:07:06,959 middle of the season, end of February. I think he made his debut 101 00:07:08,439 --> 00:07:10,839 in March third. It was what it ended up coaching twenty games of this 102 00:07:10,879 --> 00:07:14,399 season for him, right, Yeah, it was like a week I think 103 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:19,240 he made his debut like two days after the higher God official. I remember 104 00:07:19,240 --> 00:07:23,439 which team they played. I just can't remember the tate off the top of 105 00:07:23,439 --> 00:07:25,800 my head. One, two, right, I remember they one. I 106 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:28,800 think Trey dropped like thirty eight or something. Maybe. Yeah, they played 107 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:31,439 the Wizards. I know that it's always that's a fun time for everybody, 108 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:35,759 get to play the Wizard. What do we What did you make of Because 109 00:07:35,759 --> 00:07:42,000 it was atypical to see them hire someone on such a long term deal so 110 00:07:42,079 --> 00:07:46,680 immediately in the middle of the season. We normally see hires like that kind 111 00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:49,560 of weight like drip into the off season and they'll they'll move forward with an 112 00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:54,160 interim coach, especially when again, the decision to move on, like from 113 00:07:54,279 --> 00:07:57,199 Nate McMillan, was made fairly like late into the year as well. So 114 00:07:57,279 --> 00:08:01,639 what did you sort of just make of that entire progression of events. Yeah, 115 00:08:01,759 --> 00:08:05,480 I feel like you could see the writing on the wall that first, 116 00:08:05,519 --> 00:08:11,160 the relationship between you know, the locker room and Nate McMillan was kind of 117 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:16,560 touch and go. You know, obviously, winning cures everything, but when 118 00:08:16,639 --> 00:08:20,240 they're losing as much as they did, or they would win a couple, 119 00:08:20,319 --> 00:08:24,439 lose a couple win one, lose one, it just it's draining. And 120 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:28,480 I think they just were ready to kind of wipe the slate clean. And 121 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:31,519 I remember one of the big things that Landry Field said, you know, 122 00:08:31,639 --> 00:08:35,759 following that decision to move on from McMillan, is that they wanted to light 123 00:08:35,799 --> 00:08:41,240 a fire under these these players butts, and so I think the idea is 124 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:43,480 that they wanted to get somebody in as soon as possible. They didn't want 125 00:08:43,519 --> 00:08:48,000 to have to wade through, you know, the off season dance of trying 126 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:52,679 to you know, convince somebody to come aboard. As we look at what 127 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:58,919 happened in the off season, there were so many coaches who had won championships 128 00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:03,159 in the last couple of years before they moved on, and so they had 129 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:07,159 a guy in Klint Snyder who was available, and so they said, let's 130 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:09,600 just go get him as soon as possible. Pleasure to factor in. He 131 00:09:09,679 --> 00:09:16,480 is a solid relationship with Kyle Korver, and so you know that likely helped 132 00:09:16,679 --> 00:09:20,159 that kind of come to fruition a little bit faster than maybe if it had 133 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:24,159 been done in the off season when he could have taken his pick at whatever 134 00:09:24,679 --> 00:09:28,600 team that he wanted. And I think, you know, the fact that 135 00:09:28,679 --> 00:09:33,159 he's coming in with a guy like Trey Young, you know that has to 136 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:37,639 also be a little bit enticing to kind of come in and build this system 137 00:09:37,679 --> 00:09:41,000 from the ground up, especially because development is a huge thing that they want 138 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:45,559 to focus on moving forward, and Klinn Snyder is a guy that doesn't tend 139 00:09:45,639 --> 00:09:48,840 to play his rookies, So if you think about it, they may not 140 00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:54,519 necessarily be getting that development in terms of playing minutes in their first year, 141 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:58,799 but they're getting that development through his staff, through watching films through watching games 142 00:09:58,799 --> 00:10:01,679 on the sideline, and then also they have the G League and so you 143 00:10:01,679 --> 00:10:05,480 know that's potentially another avenue that they can continue to develop these players. But 144 00:10:07,919 --> 00:10:11,279 as far as them, you know, bringing him in now he gets to 145 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:15,879 see what he's potentially working with. He can kind of give his feedback as 146 00:10:15,919 --> 00:10:18,120 to how he wants to build the system based on the players that he has. 147 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:22,759 He can start building relationships with the players much sooner than if he'd had 148 00:10:22,759 --> 00:10:26,080 to do it during the off season, and so I think that played a 149 00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:30,039 role into it as well. Yeah, that was a great point at the 150 00:10:30,039 --> 00:10:33,679 time where when you look at some of the jobs that became open like Milwaukee, 151 00:10:33,879 --> 00:10:35,519 Toronto and Philly, he might I'm sure he would have been linked to 152 00:10:35,559 --> 00:10:39,679 those if he was available. Yeah, we saw like a lot of their 153 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:43,639 offensive splits like kind of shifted when Quint Spider took over. They were like 154 00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:48,000 second, they were second and offensive rebounding rate with him and tell them get 155 00:10:48,039 --> 00:10:50,279 to the rim a little bit more, get to line a little bit more 156 00:10:50,279 --> 00:10:54,320 they were out and transition a little bit more. Of those changes. What 157 00:10:54,399 --> 00:10:56,799 do you really expect to kind of stick based on like the current core leading 158 00:10:56,840 --> 00:11:00,279 into tonight, like, what do you think was most telltale of how this 159 00:11:00,279 --> 00:11:03,440 team will play together? Yeah. I think the thing that stuck out to 160 00:11:03,559 --> 00:11:07,759 me the most when we kind of started talking to players, you know, 161 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:11,639 during those twenty games is just how many three pointers he wanted them to take. 162 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:16,720 I think that a lot of these these guys they want to take that 163 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:22,480 shot, and perhaps they felt they didn't have that green light under the old 164 00:11:22,519 --> 00:11:24,799 coaching regime, and now they have this guy who's saying take the shot, 165 00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:28,960 take the shot, take the shot. Especially, as I mentioned before, 166 00:11:28,080 --> 00:11:31,600 Jalen Johnson, you know, he talked about, you know, having that 167 00:11:31,639 --> 00:11:35,759 confidence from Quinn Snyder to to go out and take those threes. Take go 168 00:11:35,799 --> 00:11:39,720 out and play a little bit more aggressively, just because he's getting a bit 169 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:43,960 more consistency in terms of playing time and he can find that rhythm. I 170 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:48,440 remember Trey Young was particularly excited about the fact that he's able to, you 171 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:50,879 know, make more three point attempts than he was under the former coach. 172 00:11:52,519 --> 00:11:54,919 So I think that was the thing that a lot of these players were excited 173 00:11:54,919 --> 00:12:00,399 about, and you could kind of see it play out in some part positives 174 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:03,399 with a guy like Bogdon Vogdanovitch, who's shooting percentage went up, and I 175 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:07,080 think that's partly because he had maybe some fresher legs after coming off of the 176 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:11,120 All Star break, but also just uh, you know, his usage. 177 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:15,200 It's it was just a little bit different in the sense that they were splays 178 00:12:15,320 --> 00:12:18,759 excuse me, spacing the floor a little bit better than they were previously because 179 00:12:18,759 --> 00:12:24,240 of how much of an emphasis Snyder had put on that in practice. So 180 00:12:24,039 --> 00:12:28,759 I think, you know, this off season or going into this next season, 181 00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:31,320 I think we can probably see those three point attempts go up a little 182 00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:35,759 bit more just because he's encouraging so many more guys to go out there and 183 00:12:37,080 --> 00:12:39,879 take those shots. Especially And I didn't even mention on Yeko Kongo, who 184 00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:43,559 you know we saw taking some of those corner threes a little bit more toward 185 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:48,159 the end of last season, and you know, now with a summer under 186 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:52,639 his spelt kind of just working on that a little bit more, he kind 187 00:12:52,679 --> 00:12:56,799 of hoped to see him taking those opportunities a little bit more as well. 188 00:12:56,480 --> 00:13:00,840 Was there still so because they still I think they were twenty nine and three 189 00:13:00,879 --> 00:13:03,639 point attempt rate under Quinn Schneider. So it's just like you would expect that 190 00:13:03,679 --> 00:13:07,799 to then be like a demonstrative increase. Is there any reason why there wasn't 191 00:13:07,799 --> 00:13:11,600 more like an immediate uptick from them. Was it just like sort of, 192 00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:15,960 this is happening mid season and we know we're so relying on the mid range 193 00:13:16,159 --> 00:13:18,080 that it's just going to be that way a little bit. Yeah, I 194 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:22,840 would say I think it's mostly just because it was that feeling out period and 195 00:13:22,879 --> 00:13:30,440 they still hadn't quite you know, internalize some of the habits that he wanted 196 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:33,159 them to kind of focus on. I think that sort of stuff just it's 197 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:37,519 going to take a little bit more time to kind of think about the system 198 00:13:37,559 --> 00:13:41,120 that is going to play a part of your season for you know, a 199 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:45,799 full eighty two games versus the last twenty. You're still kind of using some 200 00:13:45,879 --> 00:13:50,159 of the stuff that worked with the old coaching staff, and now you can't 201 00:13:50,159 --> 00:13:54,440 really make a ton of wholesale, wholesale changes to a team when you come 202 00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:58,240 in for the last twenty years so games. So you know, if this 203 00:13:58,360 --> 00:14:01,879 sort of stuff is just going to take time. He kind of had Quinn 204 00:14:01,919 --> 00:14:05,480 Snyder Hammer's in, you know, the things that he wants to see. 205 00:14:05,519 --> 00:14:09,399 I remember he talked a lot about there were still so many bad habits that 206 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:15,000 he was trying to kind of break through. I can't really remember some of 207 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:16,919 them off the top of my head right now because it feels like ages ago. 208 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:22,039 But yeah, I think that you know, now that these guys know 209 00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:26,879 what he wants, what he's looking for, they can utilize the coaching staff 210 00:14:26,879 --> 00:14:30,879 that he has now and who's going to be a part of this team, 211 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:35,879 you know, for a longer period of time versus the old assistance that were 212 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:39,799 used to a certain way of doing things. Do you think they'll still be 213 00:14:39,159 --> 00:14:45,039 as like on or bent on hitting the offensive glass under him as they were 214 00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:50,159 like over those final twenty games. I think so, especially as they continue 215 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:52,399 to take some of those shots that you know, they may not have been 216 00:14:52,519 --> 00:14:56,000 used to toward the last season. I think there's a big expectation to kind 217 00:14:56,000 --> 00:15:01,200 of lean on the strength of Onyego Congo, who's a very very good offensive 218 00:15:01,279 --> 00:15:05,600 rebounder. You know, obviously Clinton Capella's you know, stronger and the defensive 219 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:09,159 glass, but he also has, you know, that strength of being a 220 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:13,000 solid offensive rebounder as well. So I think, you know, there is 221 00:15:13,039 --> 00:15:16,879 still going to be that emphasis of them crashing the glass just because you know, 222 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:20,679 Snyder wants them to take as many opportunities as they can to get this 223 00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:28,519 offense firing. What did you make of the Dejante Murray experiments in your one 224 00:15:28,559 --> 00:15:31,519 like how what are your thoughts on that heading into the second season of it. 225 00:15:33,120 --> 00:15:35,159 Yeah, I think, you know, at the beginning, we saw 226 00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:41,320 that it could work, and then there was that middling period where it was 227 00:15:41,399 --> 00:15:46,320 like, Okay, this isn't quite working anymore, and then during the playoffs, 228 00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:50,759 you know you could kind of see again they start to kind of figure 229 00:15:50,799 --> 00:15:54,360 things out. I think, uh, you know, under Snyder, I 230 00:15:54,360 --> 00:15:58,440 think he just has a specific way of wanting to use these two guys that 231 00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:02,240 you know, may have been a little bit different than than what Nate McMillan 232 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:07,519 had in mind. And I think, you know, now again they kind 233 00:16:07,519 --> 00:16:11,159 of have an idea of what works for Tray, what works for de Jonte, 234 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:15,399 and they'll be able to kind of play to those strengths a little bit 235 00:16:15,399 --> 00:16:18,600 more. So. Yeah, I do think that we'll see you know, 236 00:16:18,679 --> 00:16:22,279 Dejanty kind of capitalize a bit more on those non trade minutes and vice versa. 237 00:16:23,840 --> 00:16:29,000 But I think the big thing is that, you know, they saw 238 00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:33,759 enough in him that they thought that they needed to extend him, and they 239 00:16:33,840 --> 00:16:37,600 ended up doing that this offseason, So I think they're really banking on it 240 00:16:37,639 --> 00:16:41,960 working. Were you surprised, I'm not surprised they offered the extension. Were 241 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:45,440 you a little bit surprised that he signed it. I was a little surprised 242 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:48,120 he signed it. I wasn't surprised that they offered it. I was, 243 00:16:48,639 --> 00:16:52,679 you know, based on everything that I saw. It just seemed like, 244 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:56,720 because it was so up and down with how it was working out, that 245 00:16:56,759 --> 00:17:02,960 he would probably try to find a more stable environment when he, you know, 246 00:17:03,120 --> 00:17:07,680 was able to explore free agency. But I think that, you know, 247 00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:14,279 this off season, they likely maybe changed or not not changed, but 248 00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:19,720 maybe they pivoted with how they convinced him that they would utilize him a little 249 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:23,319 bit more and that seemed like the best option. And I mean, when 250 00:17:23,359 --> 00:17:27,400 you look at him and Trey, they've they've definitely gotten closer this off season. 251 00:17:27,519 --> 00:17:33,079 So it'll be interesting to see how that off court chemistry starts to translate 252 00:17:33,119 --> 00:17:37,720 a little bit more onto the court in the regular season. His first season 253 00:17:37,799 --> 00:17:42,279 was so interesting in Atlanta because he was a much better shooter and I thought 254 00:17:42,319 --> 00:17:45,839 offensive fit overall when he was on the floor with Trey, and then it 255 00:17:45,920 --> 00:17:51,079 kind of just felt like the non trade minutes were just basically bad. Even 256 00:17:51,119 --> 00:17:53,039 when you kind of like play with some of the lineups. His defense just 257 00:17:53,079 --> 00:17:56,799 didn't feel the same. I don't know if they were trying to give him 258 00:17:56,839 --> 00:17:59,480 too much to do, but like, I think his steals were fine. 259 00:17:59,559 --> 00:18:02,119 He's always gonna get his deals. But it was kind of just like the 260 00:18:02,119 --> 00:18:03,240 inverse of what I expected. I was like, Oh, the fit with 261 00:18:03,279 --> 00:18:07,119 Trey will be rickety, but his defense is going to be on point and 262 00:18:07,119 --> 00:18:08,519 he'll be able to lead some of those units without Trey, And it was 263 00:18:08,519 --> 00:18:12,119 just yeah, like I said, the complete inverse, is there like a 264 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:15,920 like do you see a pathway to the non trade minutes with de Jean Murray 265 00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:21,079 specifically getting better this year? Or is that is that part of why they 266 00:18:21,359 --> 00:18:25,400 go after Kobe Bucking in the draft while they bring in Patty Mills hopefully Bogdanovich 267 00:18:25,480 --> 00:18:27,599 is is healthy or is it like a real concern that they need to be 268 00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:33,599 like considering moving into this season. You know, I think, and maybe 269 00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:40,440 I'm too much of an optimist, but I think that it has to get 270 00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:45,880 it has to get better, just get much worse than it did last season. 271 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:52,359 And I think that he has to utilize those minutes a little bit more 272 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:57,400 just because of now he knows how how Trey Young plays when they're on the 273 00:18:57,440 --> 00:19:03,119 floor together. I think the expectations maybe are a little bit different as well 274 00:19:03,119 --> 00:19:07,319 as far as to, you know, what he'll be able to accomplish in 275 00:19:07,359 --> 00:19:11,119 the minutes that he's playing with Trey. But you know, I think again, 276 00:19:11,240 --> 00:19:17,000 I don't necessarily think this team got better, particularly you know, when 277 00:19:17,039 --> 00:19:19,119 they traded John Collins. I don't think they got better defensively. I think, 278 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:22,880 in fact, they got worse. But I think he's going to have 279 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:29,119 to step up a little bit more, particularly because they don't have that extra 280 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:33,680 safety net with John Collins there to kind of you know, work with Clint 281 00:19:33,720 --> 00:19:37,279 Capella as well as they did last year defensively. So, you know, 282 00:19:37,319 --> 00:19:40,000 I think the expectation is that a lot of these guys are going to have 283 00:19:40,039 --> 00:19:42,480 to step up a little bit more so that they're not as bad as they 284 00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:48,039 were defensively last year. Yeah, they were, they were pretty bad defensively. 285 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:52,519 You will, of course talk to that. I have a question though, 286 00:19:52,799 --> 00:20:00,000 Okay, it is Trey Young officially underrated at this point. I do. 287 00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:06,599 I do think so. I mean, he you can't lead the league 288 00:20:06,599 --> 00:20:11,680 and assist as often as he has and not expect him to be rated approach 289 00:20:11,799 --> 00:20:17,599 you know where he is right now, And I don't. I wouldn't necessarily 290 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:22,319 say I think people disrespect Tree Young's game, but I do think that there's 291 00:20:22,359 --> 00:20:25,759 a lot more that he, you know, is eager to show us. 292 00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:30,160 So I think again, I think this is a big season for him. 293 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:34,480 He's heading into what his sixth season. You know, he's got a lot 294 00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:40,960 more experience of leading a team to an Eastern Conference final. He's got a 295 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:45,440 new coach under his belt, who you know, likely aligns with what he 296 00:20:47,039 --> 00:20:49,960 believes his game is. And so I do think he is And you know, 297 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:55,119 I do think he should have been somebody who was in serious consideration for 298 00:20:55,200 --> 00:21:00,839 Team USA. But yeah, I do think he is underrated it And you 299 00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:03,200 know, I think he's gonna come out with a lot or a huge chip 300 00:21:03,240 --> 00:21:10,079 on his shoulder moving into this season. I wonder if, if if he's 301 00:21:10,119 --> 00:21:14,480 able to function under Quinn Snyder without any reports of oh this is happening in 302 00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:17,039 the locker room or this is happening with the coaching staff, if that could 303 00:21:17,079 --> 00:21:19,640 maybe shift perception of him. I think some of it is okay. He 304 00:21:19,759 --> 00:21:23,400 was under thirty two percent on his off the drible threes last year, Like 305 00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:26,920 we need to see some of his percentage even around the rim dropped. But 306 00:21:26,960 --> 00:21:30,680 it seems like they're gonna be playing a lot of They played four out anyway 307 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:33,240 when John Collins was there, But if John Collins isn't hitting threees, you're 308 00:21:33,279 --> 00:21:34,960 not really four out, and so you can get the more four out combinations. 309 00:21:36,279 --> 00:21:37,279 He gets to the basket more, and I think he's at his best 310 00:21:37,279 --> 00:21:40,920 when he can leverage both the floater and the stuff he does at the rim. 311 00:21:41,319 --> 00:21:42,720 He also just and you mentioned this, one of the best passers in 312 00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:45,440 the league, great at setting up corner three, is great at getting his 313 00:21:45,799 --> 00:21:49,480 teammates like buckets at the rim. I think he has become underrated, and 314 00:21:49,519 --> 00:21:53,920 it feels like it's all this extracurricular stuff that has pulled away from his report, 315 00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:59,000 because even defensively, he's still one of the worst defenders in the league. 316 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:02,200 But like he's not as as he was two years ago either, And 317 00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:06,559 it's just wild to me that it feels like we're lower or nationally the perception 318 00:22:06,559 --> 00:22:10,039 of him is lower than it was two years ago. And I can only 319 00:22:10,039 --> 00:22:12,440 pinpoint, Okay, it's just because of the rumors about Okay, yes, 320 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:15,720 some of the percentages last year, but they're not talking about his shooting splits 321 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:18,519 when they're criticizing Trey Young, like it always kind of comes back to just 322 00:22:18,559 --> 00:22:22,880 the defense and of course, like oh, what's going on behind the scenes 323 00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:26,880 with the coaching staff or his relationship with his teammates. Yeah, I think 324 00:22:26,920 --> 00:22:32,400 it's hard to ignore that reputation and all of that plays a lot, a 325 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:34,480 huge role in a lot of the stuff that we see is in terms of 326 00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:40,480 player voting for All Stars, coaches voting for old All Stars, and all 327 00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:44,880 of that sort of stuff. I mean, the outside perception does have a 328 00:22:45,079 --> 00:22:49,079 huge, I think chunk of the factor and how he's perceived. You know, 329 00:22:49,279 --> 00:22:55,240 he is kind of perceived as unfortunately just because of like you said, 330 00:22:55,279 --> 00:23:00,240 the extracurriculars a little bit of a jerk. But but but when you think 331 00:23:00,279 --> 00:23:06,799 about, you know, who he is as a person, you don't necessarily 332 00:23:06,839 --> 00:23:11,359 see those factors. I think he's just he knows who he is and he's 333 00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:14,839 very confident in his ability, and I think when he has a coach like 334 00:23:15,039 --> 00:23:19,319 Quinn Snyder, who he can kind of I think they talk the same language 335 00:23:19,319 --> 00:23:22,880 a little bit more, and I think that will net a lot more positive 336 00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:29,359 results. And I think, you know, guys like to make sure that 337 00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:34,759 they're consistently learning from the coaches that that they're under, and I think sometimes 338 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:41,039 it comes down to you're not learning anymore, and so unfortunately that can play 339 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:48,440 a role in what happens on the court. It's hard to ignore that. 340 00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:53,680 It's hard to ignore the body language that you sometimes see between coaches and players 341 00:23:53,799 --> 00:23:59,160 and and and all of that sort of stuff. So I do think that 342 00:23:59,519 --> 00:24:06,799 his reputation has unfortunately overshadowed what he is capable of. And I think that 343 00:24:06,839 --> 00:24:08,319 this will be a big gear for him to be able to show that, 344 00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:15,079 you know, he isn't who people say says he is. And I think, 345 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:18,079 you know, especially when you think about when he's launched a podcast now, 346 00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:25,119 and you know, he's trying to, you know, open this kind 347 00:24:25,119 --> 00:24:29,319 of inside view into who he is off the court. So yeah, I 348 00:24:29,359 --> 00:24:33,519 think he's very much aware of what the perception of him is and I think 349 00:24:33,640 --> 00:24:37,599 he does have a little bit of a mixture of he knows who he is, 350 00:24:37,720 --> 00:24:41,839 but he also is willing to, you know, start sharing who he 351 00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:45,799 is a little bit more. Now. Adrian Griffin's role is all over the 352 00:24:45,839 --> 00:24:48,799 place as a rookie, should we expect him to have a bigger role even 353 00:24:48,799 --> 00:24:52,799 though side of the backcourt rotation is more crowded this year, maybe you get 354 00:24:52,839 --> 00:24:56,480 some wing minutes too, And what we're just your general impressions of his game 355 00:24:56,559 --> 00:25:00,640 coming out of year one. Yeah, I think, you know, he 356 00:25:00,359 --> 00:25:07,920 played really really well in in those first what forty or so games before the 357 00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:11,799 All Star break before. I mean, he did start to hit a little 358 00:25:11,839 --> 00:25:15,279 bit of a rookie wall toward that All Star break actually, and then it 359 00:25:15,359 --> 00:25:21,599 kind of kept going afterward. But I don't think the Hawks expected him to 360 00:25:21,640 --> 00:25:23,720 be as strong as he was, you know, to begin with. If 361 00:25:23,759 --> 00:25:27,400 you remember they were playing justin holiday, a lot of those minutes where those 362 00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:32,559 first ten or so games before they kind of switched and AJ earned some of 363 00:25:32,599 --> 00:25:37,759 those minutes a little bit more. But you know, it's it's hard to 364 00:25:37,960 --> 00:25:45,000 say, just because Snyder typically keeps the rotations pretty tight, particularly you know, 365 00:25:45,039 --> 00:25:48,519 in the playoffs. I think we saw a lot of like eight man 366 00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:53,279 rotations, and AJ is kind of the tenth man when you factor in a 367 00:25:53,359 --> 00:26:00,880 guy like Jayalen Johnson, who Quinn Snyder really really like his game, the 368 00:26:00,920 --> 00:26:07,920 athleticism and just kind of that raw ability to potentially have a stronger outside game. 369 00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:12,759 Plus Jayalen Johnson's defense was a lot stronger than you know AJ's, and 370 00:26:14,039 --> 00:26:19,160 pro team that isn't the best defensively, you need as many strong defenders as 371 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:25,200 you can. So it's kind of hard to say whether AJ will kind of 372 00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:30,000 have more minutes this upcoming year unless this defense has kind of taken that next 373 00:26:30,039 --> 00:26:33,839 step just because with a lot of these younger players, that's kind of how 374 00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:37,799 you earn your minutes on the floors, that you show that you can be 375 00:26:37,839 --> 00:26:41,119 a stopper on that end. And so I think going into the season, 376 00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:48,160 if I'm projecting lineups, obviously it's gonna be Trey des Gante, Drey DeAndre 377 00:26:48,319 --> 00:26:52,759 Hunter. I'm still toying between whether it will be Sadique Bay at the four 378 00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:56,759 or Jayalen Johnson at the four, and then obviously Clint Capella. Those are 379 00:26:56,880 --> 00:27:00,640 going to be your starters, and then you know the next the sixth man 380 00:27:00,759 --> 00:27:07,200 is going to be Bob coming off the bench, and then when Trader Deshaunty 381 00:27:07,279 --> 00:27:12,839 sits, it'll likely be Patty coming in to kind of play that point guard 382 00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:18,640 role, and then it'll likely be on Yeka, who's the backup five. 383 00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:22,200 So it's kind of hard to see whearing that mix. You're going to have 384 00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:26,200 a guy like a j Griffin or even Kobe Bufkin come in just because Clint 385 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:33,359 Snyder typically doesn't play those young guys a lot, it does feel like the 386 00:27:33,359 --> 00:27:40,000 best path for him to have consistent minutes would be can you defend the three? 387 00:27:40,119 --> 00:27:42,920 Basically is it's not even just evens like can you defend these wings? 388 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:45,559 And it's I want to say it's a shame, but I was like, 389 00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:48,720 and I don't know enough about I don't know a ton about rookies until they 390 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:52,279 really entered the league. He's want to really start in their game. He 391 00:27:52,440 --> 00:27:55,839 was so comfortable off the dribble and getting like to the in between spots eve 392 00:27:55,839 --> 00:27:59,480 when he wasn't making shots, which just like, oh there is something here. 393 00:27:59,599 --> 00:28:03,240 But when you were basically like what fourth in offense under Quinn Snyder, 394 00:28:03,279 --> 00:28:07,559 Like you don't need more offense and you definitely don't need more shot creation per 395 00:28:07,599 --> 00:28:11,440 se on this team, and so I'm curious to see if they will try 396 00:28:11,519 --> 00:28:15,440 him out against some like maybe like slower wings, just to see because if 397 00:28:15,440 --> 00:28:18,640 he can hold up in that situation, I feel like it makes it a 398 00:28:18,640 --> 00:28:22,960 lot easier to play him. Yeah, I agree. I think you know, 399 00:28:22,039 --> 00:28:25,920 obviously, his on the ball defense is a lot better than his off 400 00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:27,640 the ball, and I think that's that's the biggest thing, is that a 401 00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:32,920 lot of the times he kind of gets lost a little bit, especially when 402 00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:36,480 he's out there on the wing. And so that's what I mean by kind 403 00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:38,160 of like that next step is just you know, just making sure if he 404 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:41,000 has that awareness a little bit more. So, Yeah, I definitely agree 405 00:28:41,039 --> 00:28:47,039 with you that kind of where he'll earn his mints the most is just on 406 00:28:47,079 --> 00:28:51,640 the defensive end, and particularly like you mentioned, on the wing. Are 407 00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:56,599 you at all surprise that we're entering year four of like Bokongu quin Cappella pairing 408 00:28:56,839 --> 00:29:00,480 up front, Like they're not guys that play together, but they've just been 409 00:29:00,519 --> 00:29:03,599 together for four years and now we're you know, Okungu is extension knowledgeable, 410 00:29:03,799 --> 00:29:08,480 Kapella has actually signed another contract. Like since they've been teammates. Is this 411 00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:14,079 a dynamic that you think the team is prepared to float long term knowing that 412 00:29:14,079 --> 00:29:18,960 a kungu is about to get more expensive. It's hard for me to say 413 00:29:18,039 --> 00:29:22,759 yes to that, just because you know, Clint Capello is a guy that 414 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:27,039 was continuously kind of floated in trade rumors, you know, up until you 415 00:29:27,079 --> 00:29:30,039 know the draft, and then even after the draft a little bit. You 416 00:29:30,039 --> 00:29:36,119 know, he was frequently kind of mixed in with that Dallas mixture, and 417 00:29:36,480 --> 00:29:41,359 I kind of anticipated that before. It seemed like some of the trade talks 418 00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:47,720 for Siakam kind of broke down that he would be part of some three team 419 00:29:47,759 --> 00:29:52,279 whatever team trade to to kind of kind of bring that there. So I 420 00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:59,599 don't I don't see this necessarily being something that's long term. I think Clint 421 00:29:59,599 --> 00:30:03,880 Snyder really likes what Oneko Congo can do. I think he's very excited that, 422 00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:07,480 you know, he can potentially you know, space him out to the 423 00:30:07,519 --> 00:30:14,519 outside, whereas with Clint Capella you can't quite do that. So I think 424 00:30:14,599 --> 00:30:18,240 that long term, Oneka just kind of offers a little bit more versatility that 425 00:30:18,799 --> 00:30:23,279 might make a more convincing argument for the Hawks to kind of keep him on 426 00:30:23,319 --> 00:30:29,240 a little bit longer. Plus he's younger, which is weird to say that 427 00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:33,119 Clint, who is only like, what twenty eight twenty nine, is no 428 00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:38,000 longer spring Chicken versus Oneko who's like twenty three twenty four. So yeah, 429 00:30:38,079 --> 00:30:42,920 I think just kind of what this what this team is looking to do. 430 00:30:44,119 --> 00:30:48,680 I can see them moving in the direction of extending Oneka a little bit longer 431 00:30:48,920 --> 00:30:52,880 and you know, moving on from Clint when his contract is up, if 432 00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:56,359 they can't trade him before that. And I think, because I believe he's 433 00:30:56,400 --> 00:31:00,519 a free agent after this upcoming season, that might make him a little bit 434 00:31:00,559 --> 00:31:06,079 more enticing to some teams, especially around the trade deadline, who are looking 435 00:31:06,119 --> 00:31:10,559 to kind of beef up on the inside a little bit more, especially defensively. 436 00:31:11,599 --> 00:31:15,119 He's on an expiring contract and so it might make him a little bit 437 00:31:17,440 --> 00:31:21,680 Does he have two years? I think he's for two years Coppell, Yeah, 438 00:31:21,680 --> 00:31:23,880 I think he comes off the books after twenty four twenty five, okay, 439 00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:29,519 which is not a long dealt So to just have him there. If 440 00:31:29,519 --> 00:31:32,680 you had to pick, though, would you say and or is the answer 441 00:31:32,720 --> 00:31:36,880 neither like Bolsa deik bay and on Yaka Congo or extension knowledgeable, so Congo 442 00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:40,480 more likely to get the extension, or does this team very fluid with how 443 00:31:40,480 --> 00:31:44,559 it wants to monitor, let's say, where it is relative to the tax 444 00:31:44,880 --> 00:31:47,759 and so you would like they're just not going to extend either of them. 445 00:31:47,799 --> 00:31:52,680 They're gonna let it drip into restricted free agency. Yeah, I think it's 446 00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:59,519 if I had to say, I could see them being a little bit more 447 00:32:00,799 --> 00:32:07,720 inclined to extend Onyeka before you know, they were to necessarily extend Sadik. 448 00:32:07,839 --> 00:32:09,839 I think it just depends on, you know, how both of these guys 449 00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:16,400 performed this year. But I think I'm more inclined for them. I'm more 450 00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:22,720 inclined to believe that they wouldn't extend Onyeka just because again a little bit more 451 00:32:22,799 --> 00:32:29,079 versatility. You know, Sadik, he can shoot the ball really really well, 452 00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:34,559 but I think just defensively, he's still not quite where they need him 453 00:32:34,599 --> 00:32:37,759 to be, and he'll of course have to make another step forward on that 454 00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:42,599 end. You know, this season I think to kind of convince this team 455 00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:45,440 to say, Okay, yeah, we definitely have to buy into this guy. 456 00:32:45,160 --> 00:32:50,119 When you look at kind of where they they are and who they drafted, 457 00:32:51,079 --> 00:32:55,039 you know, Mohammed Gay they truly believe in this kid, and so 458 00:32:55,880 --> 00:33:04,680 it's and then again Jayalen Johnson, it kind of put Sadek in a little 459 00:33:04,680 --> 00:33:09,799 bit of a stickier situation as far as you know, it's a done deal 460 00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:15,519 that he gets extended. So yeah, we've mentioned Jalen Johnson a couple of 461 00:33:15,559 --> 00:33:20,079 times now. It seems like he's in line for just a monster role this 462 00:33:20,160 --> 00:33:22,920 year, which makes sense because of how bad some of their other defensive options 463 00:33:22,960 --> 00:33:27,599 are, including Bay who's a part of that. Offensively, though, like 464 00:33:27,799 --> 00:33:30,920 what do we expect from him? We've sort of seen flashes of a little 465 00:33:30,920 --> 00:33:34,480 bit of everything, Like he can attacks and close outs, he can grab 466 00:33:34,519 --> 00:33:37,079 rebounds and run up the floor. The shooting is a little bit rickety, 467 00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:40,599 Like what is the what are you watching for as he's going into this year? 468 00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:45,240 Yeah, I think for me, I'm just looking to see if he 469 00:33:45,279 --> 00:33:50,200 can continue building off of the confidence that he had toward the end of last 470 00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:52,799 season. Of course, he didn't play a lot of minutes in the postseason, 471 00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:57,720 but that was I think more so Quinn just kind of leaning on some 472 00:33:57,759 --> 00:34:01,480 of those more experienced postseason and guys. I mean, that was his first 473 00:34:01,480 --> 00:34:06,640 time in the playoffs and I think he did as well as you would have 474 00:34:06,759 --> 00:34:12,639 expected. So I do think we're gonna see a lot more athleticism. We're 475 00:34:12,639 --> 00:34:15,880 gonna see him continue to run the floor as much as he did last year, 476 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:21,400 and I'm sure this offseason he is has been working on that shooting a 477 00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:24,800 lot more. I'm actually gonna be talking to him tomorrow, so we'll get 478 00:34:24,840 --> 00:34:29,760 a good sense of where he is based on what he's done this this off 479 00:34:29,800 --> 00:34:36,280 season. So yeah, I think we're just gonna see a lot more off 480 00:34:36,280 --> 00:34:40,639 that athleticism that we've seen so many flashes of. And I think he's gonna 481 00:34:40,679 --> 00:34:45,119 have a good good season this year. I think they'll be able to unlock 482 00:34:45,199 --> 00:34:47,960 more of his you know, skills as a ball handler. I think that 483 00:34:49,039 --> 00:34:51,880 was one of the other things that this Hawks team didn't have enough of last 484 00:34:51,920 --> 00:34:53,199 season, was guys who could, you know, take the ball up the 485 00:34:53,199 --> 00:34:57,679 floor, who could set shots up. And he and Oneko Congo have a 486 00:34:57,719 --> 00:35:00,719 really good chemistry building. He and say a really good chemistry building as far 487 00:35:00,760 --> 00:35:06,199 as him setting them up for shots. So yeah, I think we're gonna 488 00:35:06,199 --> 00:35:08,840 see just, you know, a lot more of that versatility that he showed 489 00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:13,840 when he was at Duke, who do you think, and you sort of 490 00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:16,320 mentioned this before, winds up with that fifth starter spot. It feels like 491 00:35:16,360 --> 00:35:21,760 it'll come between down to Johnson or Bay. But could anyone else sneak in 492 00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:23,320 there? Or do you think it's firmly between those two? And who would 493 00:35:23,320 --> 00:35:31,760 you pick between them? Yeah, I think I think I'm gonna go out 494 00:35:31,760 --> 00:35:38,280 a limb on a limb here and say I think Jayalen gets that that fifth 495 00:35:38,679 --> 00:35:45,800 starter spot just because of his ability to rebound. You know, he's not 496 00:35:45,880 --> 00:35:49,760 afraid to And that's not to say that Sadique Bay is afraid to go out 497 00:35:49,760 --> 00:35:53,320 there. None of these guys are afraid to do anything. But just how 498 00:35:53,440 --> 00:35:58,480 much he's able to kind of come in and grab some of those offensive rebounds, 499 00:35:58,480 --> 00:36:00,400 which I need. He's also there's you know, get some of those 500 00:36:00,440 --> 00:36:05,400 defensive rebounds again, the ability to you know, be a guy that can 501 00:36:05,440 --> 00:36:08,320 set shots up again, that's just another like just having that versatility in that 502 00:36:08,400 --> 00:36:13,320 starting five I just think gives him a little bit more of an edge over 503 00:36:13,920 --> 00:36:16,519 over Sabak. So I don't even think that's necessarily a hot take. I 504 00:36:16,599 --> 00:36:21,679 think a lot of people expected Jayalen Johnson to kind of be the air apparent 505 00:36:21,920 --> 00:36:27,519 to John Collins whenever it was, you know that the team moved on from 506 00:36:27,559 --> 00:36:30,760 him or he moved on from the team. And I just just based on 507 00:36:31,320 --> 00:36:36,320 you know, he has the size. You know, he's he's very strong, 508 00:36:36,360 --> 00:36:39,239 even though he's a very lean sort of player. I don't know, 509 00:36:39,280 --> 00:36:43,519 I just in that starting five, I can kind of see him having the 510 00:36:43,639 --> 00:36:47,360 edge just because he has a little bit more versatility. Yeah, I just 511 00:36:47,519 --> 00:36:52,119 I guess it would just come down to really hit enough of his set jumpers. 512 00:36:52,360 --> 00:36:55,280 Yeah. So that because Murray's coming off basic like a career shooting season 513 00:36:55,360 --> 00:36:58,960 from three when you look at his catch and shoots, So if that comes 514 00:36:58,960 --> 00:37:00,480 down a little bit if you try and maximize your spacing, I get. 515 00:37:00,639 --> 00:37:04,320 I can see why the appeal would be, well, we'll start with Bay 516 00:37:04,400 --> 00:37:07,559 and then have Johnson roll out and like some of the bench every units. 517 00:37:07,840 --> 00:37:12,360 Yeah, and I could it could very well to be matchup dependent as well. 518 00:37:12,559 --> 00:37:15,880 We could see, you know, especially at the beginning of the season, 519 00:37:15,920 --> 00:37:19,920 maybe they toggle a lot between the two because you know, you could 520 00:37:19,920 --> 00:37:23,000 have Sadeacon Andre. They could kind of play between both the three and the 521 00:37:23,079 --> 00:37:28,480 four, so it's not too much of a set one, two, three, 522 00:37:28,559 --> 00:37:31,039 four, five. So yeah, I think maybe at the beginning of 523 00:37:31,079 --> 00:37:36,960 the year we see a lot more experimentation and then you know, towards the 524 00:37:37,079 --> 00:37:38,760 end when kind of locks in on what works. But yeah, I think 525 00:37:38,760 --> 00:37:44,639 it could also be just a matchup dependant. What is this team's pathway to 526 00:37:44,679 --> 00:37:46,840 actually getting a lot better on the defensive end? Is it just that, 527 00:37:46,920 --> 00:37:52,440 oh, Murray's better this season, We're gonna play Jail and Johnson more. 528 00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:57,400 We're expecting DeAndre Hunter to continue to develop. Has that last ship sailed? 529 00:37:57,480 --> 00:37:59,679 Like, I don't even know how I feel about DeAndre Hunter, who might 530 00:37:59,679 --> 00:38:02,480 be the was net neutral player in the NBA when I when I consider my 531 00:38:02,519 --> 00:38:07,199 feelings about him right now, or is there not really a pathway with this 532 00:38:07,320 --> 00:38:09,920 current chord it's still gonna take, Like, Oh, they need to sort 533 00:38:09,960 --> 00:38:14,519 of futs and fiddle at the very least on the trade market if they want 534 00:38:14,559 --> 00:38:17,400 to make become let's say, a lead average defensive team. I do think 535 00:38:17,440 --> 00:38:22,360 they need to fut some fiddle a little bit more. I just I still 536 00:38:23,800 --> 00:38:30,920 just don't think that this team is quite there yet. I think, if 537 00:38:30,960 --> 00:38:35,239 I if I'm being honest, I still think that they're one or two spots 538 00:38:35,280 --> 00:38:38,559 away from kind of being what it is. And I think maybe it's also 539 00:38:38,599 --> 00:38:42,639 them just kind of banking on some of these guys that they drafted it. 540 00:38:42,800 --> 00:38:45,920 You know, in this most recent class, you look at, you know, 541 00:38:45,960 --> 00:38:49,719 the three rookies that they are technically the four rookies that they brought in, 542 00:38:49,800 --> 00:38:53,280 and they're all fairly defensive minded guys. It's just going to be a 543 00:38:53,320 --> 00:38:57,639 little bit harder for them to crack the rotation right now, just because you 544 00:38:57,639 --> 00:39:02,159 can't expect rookies to be offensively ready right away, even if their defense is 545 00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:07,159 right there. But I think the goal is for them to continue developing in 546 00:39:07,320 --> 00:39:12,400 house. But yeah, I don't know, it's just it's really hard for 547 00:39:12,440 --> 00:39:15,320 me to see. And I also think too, it depends on what guys 548 00:39:15,360 --> 00:39:19,239 like you know, Patty Mills are able to kind of bring to the table 549 00:39:19,280 --> 00:39:22,760 as well. And I think that's one of the things too that they're missing, 550 00:39:22,800 --> 00:39:25,639 is that that that veteran presence, and now they have that in both 551 00:39:25,639 --> 00:39:30,280 West Matthews and Patty Mills. I mean, when you look at the team 552 00:39:30,360 --> 00:39:32,880 last year, it was a pretty pretty young team. I think the average 553 00:39:32,920 --> 00:39:39,639 age was probably about what twenty four, twenty five, with Bogey being the 554 00:39:39,679 --> 00:39:45,000 oldest guy after after the trade deadline on this team. So yeah, I 555 00:39:45,039 --> 00:39:49,559 think, you know, maybe with a little bit more veteran presence that they 556 00:39:49,559 --> 00:39:54,239 have now and you know, maybe one or two more defensive minded guys, 557 00:39:54,400 --> 00:40:00,199 I think that, you know, maybe it could be what's needed to at 558 00:40:00,199 --> 00:40:02,280 them, you know, over that whatever hump it is that they have that's 559 00:40:02,320 --> 00:40:06,480 been holding them back. Sensively. As a fact, they did not know 560 00:40:06,599 --> 00:40:08,079 that Boie was the oldest player on the team after the tree. He's the 561 00:40:08,079 --> 00:40:12,599 only player thirty year older on a team after the trade deadline. Did not 562 00:40:12,760 --> 00:40:15,760 have no idea about that. Thank you for sharing. Yeah, So what 563 00:40:16,039 --> 00:40:22,320 do we make of their reported interest in Pascal Siakam, which seems legitimate, 564 00:40:22,480 --> 00:40:27,239 Like they're serious about their interests in Pascal Siakam, even if talks haven't really 565 00:40:27,280 --> 00:40:31,280 progressed to where you would think that something is imminent. Yeah, I and 566 00:40:31,639 --> 00:40:36,840 listen, I like Pascal Sam. I like his game, and I like 567 00:40:36,880 --> 00:40:39,880 what he's been doing for Toronto and everything like that. But again, I 568 00:40:40,000 --> 00:40:45,920 still I think he's the type of player that they go in on when when 569 00:40:45,519 --> 00:40:49,400 you know, he's just kind of like the last piece that they need versus 570 00:40:49,599 --> 00:40:53,719 right now where I still think they need a couple more pieces, and I 571 00:40:53,719 --> 00:40:58,239 mean he's part of the couple more pieces. I also think the other thing 572 00:40:58,280 --> 00:41:01,920 that has me kind of hung up is that you know him, the reports 573 00:41:01,960 --> 00:41:08,719 of him not necessarily being willing to resign with a team if he's traded to 574 00:41:08,760 --> 00:41:12,440 me, that should kind of put up a little bit of the red flag 575 00:41:12,519 --> 00:41:17,360 of whether you know of you going in on the deal. I don't know. 576 00:41:17,440 --> 00:41:21,360 That's just kind of been my hang up, is you know, him 577 00:41:21,599 --> 00:41:25,360 saying out loud for the world to know that he's not interested in resigning with 578 00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:30,800 the team. So yeah, I don't know if I don't know if he's 579 00:41:30,840 --> 00:41:32,880 the guy that you make the trade for right now if you're the Hawks. 580 00:41:32,880 --> 00:41:36,960 But I think I would agree with you. I'm not. I don't really 581 00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:40,519 care about him saying he won't resign. A lot of that's been the reporting 582 00:41:40,559 --> 00:41:45,000 has been, Oh, he wants to be supermax Eldro with the Raptors, 583 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:46,920 and he very well could make all NBA doesn't mean the Raptors are in a 584 00:41:46,920 --> 00:41:50,559 super max him. They just let Fred van Vleet walk for nothing, like 585 00:41:50,599 --> 00:41:54,239 they're not necessarily in the business of paying everybody. I just more so the 586 00:41:54,440 --> 00:41:58,159 okay, you have to worry about what it's gonna cost to resign him, 587 00:41:58,159 --> 00:42:00,760 and you are very tax conscious at this day age, and then it's the 588 00:42:00,800 --> 00:42:05,280 fit just feels like it could be weird. He gets you better defensively, 589 00:42:05,400 --> 00:42:07,679 but do you want him playing the five? And if the answers no, 590 00:42:07,880 --> 00:42:10,360 do you want him playing with a kungu? And then you're taking the ball 591 00:42:10,360 --> 00:42:13,559 out of his hands a lot more with Murray and Trey Young? And if 592 00:42:13,639 --> 00:42:15,920 Murray's not treating the ball, well, how's the fit with him and Siakam? 593 00:42:15,920 --> 00:42:21,119 It just thought it was a very interesting player for them to be so 594 00:42:21,199 --> 00:42:24,199 seemingly interested in. And I would agree with you that I don't given where 595 00:42:24,199 --> 00:42:29,000 they're at, I don't think he's the guy that you, you know, 596 00:42:29,639 --> 00:42:34,039 go all in on when you've already you've traded some future assets already to get 597 00:42:34,199 --> 00:42:37,000 Murray. So I was just I didn't find it puzzling because Siakham's a good 598 00:42:37,000 --> 00:42:42,599 player, but after you've just dumped John, I just I found it very 599 00:42:42,679 --> 00:42:45,320 curious would be the word that I used to describe it. I agree, 600 00:42:45,360 --> 00:42:47,679 I feel like it would have just kind of put them back in the situation 601 00:42:47,719 --> 00:42:52,559 that they just got themselves out of, and you know, for a team 602 00:42:52,559 --> 00:42:57,480 that's said that they wanted flexibility, in my opinion, going all in on 603 00:42:57,599 --> 00:43:02,920 Siakam right now when even though you know they're they've human the humanly denied that 604 00:43:02,920 --> 00:43:07,000 they're not trying to duc the tax or anything like that. Actions, you 605 00:43:07,039 --> 00:43:10,480 know, unfortunately, actions speak louder than words, and the actions look like 606 00:43:10,519 --> 00:43:15,480 you're trying to duck the tax. You know. I just it just was 607 00:43:16,159 --> 00:43:20,960 not I just to go all in on this one person right now where the 608 00:43:21,039 --> 00:43:23,880 roster is. I didn't think it was necessarily the right move. So I 609 00:43:23,920 --> 00:43:30,239 think we're both on the same page here about that. We've entered the annual 610 00:43:30,280 --> 00:43:35,119 cookie cutter portion of the podcast. My first question here is what do you 611 00:43:35,159 --> 00:43:38,519 think, as currently constructed, in at full strength, their ten man rotation 612 00:43:38,639 --> 00:43:44,320 looks like it does feel like there might be eight locks on this team. 613 00:43:44,360 --> 00:43:46,320 I would say, for the ten man rotation, is that right? I 614 00:43:46,360 --> 00:43:50,679 could see, yeah, I would say that, and I would almost say, 615 00:43:51,320 --> 00:43:54,639 you know, I think I think Patty Mills is in there somewhere. 616 00:43:55,119 --> 00:43:59,880 Okay, I think I think Patty Mills is in there somewhere, just because 617 00:44:00,599 --> 00:44:04,800 again, you know, he's got a little bit more experienced. He's really 618 00:44:04,840 --> 00:44:08,960 been showing out in the World Cup, and you know he has that experience 619 00:44:09,000 --> 00:44:14,199 also with Deschante Murray. So I think he's kind of one of those reserves. 620 00:44:14,199 --> 00:44:17,280 And I would almost say that I believe he's probably the tenth man this 621 00:44:17,360 --> 00:44:22,840 year versus a guy like Ajor or anyone, you know, one of the 622 00:44:22,880 --> 00:44:25,760 younger guys. So, yeah, that would give us then Trey dejan A, 623 00:44:25,960 --> 00:44:31,800 DeAndre Hunter, Bay Capella, Bogey Oneko Kongu, Jalen Johnson, Patty 624 00:44:31,880 --> 00:44:35,320 Mills is nine. And then would you think, like, oh, should 625 00:44:35,320 --> 00:44:37,840 we expect West Matthews to be playing over a J. Griffin a lot this 626 00:44:37,920 --> 00:44:40,920 season or do you think a J. Griffin will have a real chance at 627 00:44:40,920 --> 00:44:45,840 getting that ten spot. I don't think I'm missing anybody unless they're like super 628 00:44:45,920 --> 00:44:50,000 high on vit Craci or something. Well they actually already waved heat, so 629 00:44:50,199 --> 00:45:00,239 he's he's not there, you know, I think, And maybe maybe I'm 630 00:45:00,320 --> 00:45:02,960 maybe this will be my hot I don't even think it's that hot. Maybe 631 00:45:02,960 --> 00:45:07,239 this will be my warm tape. But I think I could see that tenth 632 00:45:07,239 --> 00:45:12,519 man being a mixture of maybe you know, Buffkin and AJ, And I 633 00:45:12,559 --> 00:45:15,679 think it just depends on, you know, whether AJ can kind of get 634 00:45:15,719 --> 00:45:21,039 that defensive side of his game up, because I think that's kind of where 635 00:45:21,039 --> 00:45:25,599 buff can edges him a little bit. And I and I think just because 636 00:45:25,639 --> 00:45:29,800 you know, Buffkin's ability to handle the rock is a little bit stronger than 637 00:45:29,840 --> 00:45:32,559 AJ as well. Again, I think it all comes down to versatility and 638 00:45:32,639 --> 00:45:37,679 right now, even though you know Kobe Buffkin's a little bit on the younger 639 00:45:37,719 --> 00:45:43,559 side of the two, they're actually about the same age. But I think 640 00:45:43,599 --> 00:45:46,559 just because of his defense, he played really well on the defensive end in 641 00:45:46,599 --> 00:45:50,639 Summer League, and I know it summerly. He can't take too much away 642 00:45:50,679 --> 00:45:52,840 from that, but I think that kind of edges him a little bit in 643 00:45:52,920 --> 00:45:59,239 that tenth roster spot. What do you view as this team's biggest weakness right 644 00:45:59,280 --> 00:46:04,239 now, whether it's like a player archetyped or specific functional void. Yeah, 645 00:46:04,280 --> 00:46:09,519 I think for me, it still comes down to kind of that collective defense. 646 00:46:09,639 --> 00:46:15,119 I'm a little I think I'm still a little bit nervous about where they 647 00:46:15,159 --> 00:46:19,320 are, especially on the perimeter. You know, obviously we know DeAndre Hunter 648 00:46:19,559 --> 00:46:24,360 is their strongest perimeter perimeter defender, or at least he was last season when 649 00:46:24,360 --> 00:46:28,480 you look at some of those games, like I think there was one Indiana 650 00:46:28,559 --> 00:46:34,079 game where he missed it. He had like a ankle sprain or something, 651 00:46:34,199 --> 00:46:40,159 and it was just it was just bad. And so you know, it's 652 00:46:40,199 --> 00:46:45,960 he's one of those guys where unfortunately, you just kind of notice way more 653 00:46:45,960 --> 00:46:49,000 of the bad than you do just when he's like he said, he's just 654 00:46:49,199 --> 00:46:51,440 neutral. He just does his job. He shows up, does what he's 655 00:46:51,440 --> 00:46:54,159 supposed to do sort of thing, and you obviously notice him when he's playing 656 00:46:54,199 --> 00:46:59,960 really really well. But I just I just kind of want to see them 657 00:47:00,119 --> 00:47:01,960 a little bit stronger. I'm not in this, you know as well, 658 00:47:02,119 --> 00:47:06,800 just kind of how much they take some of the stress off Clint Capella. 659 00:47:06,840 --> 00:47:10,880 I mean, that work guy is just like you know, working its tailoffs. 660 00:47:10,960 --> 00:47:14,800 So I think that's kind of where I am. It's just I want 661 00:47:14,800 --> 00:47:17,119 to see them a lot stronger on you know, some of their point of 662 00:47:17,159 --> 00:47:21,280 attack defense as well. Do they have And I forgot to include this in 663 00:47:21,320 --> 00:47:24,000 the outline, but just nationally, is there like any you know, strengths 664 00:47:24,039 --> 00:47:28,360 about this team that go overlooked or something about this team that goes overlooked that 665 00:47:28,400 --> 00:47:32,280 you think deserves some shine. Yeah. I do think this team is a 666 00:47:32,280 --> 00:47:37,239 lot more athletics than than people give them a little bit of credit for. 667 00:47:37,639 --> 00:47:43,239 And I think that's partly one a guy like Jayleen Johnson, but also Dean 668 00:47:43,480 --> 00:47:47,280 I mean, Desanta is actually sneaky athletic in my opinion, and so I'm 669 00:47:47,519 --> 00:47:51,280 Ka Kong, who is also one of those athletic guys. So I do 670 00:47:51,840 --> 00:47:54,960 think that their ability to attack the rim as well as they do deserves a 671 00:47:55,039 --> 00:48:00,199 little bit more shine as well. This is to some they stand matchup dependent. 672 00:48:00,400 --> 00:48:04,840 But what would you expect their preferred closing lineup to be? Is it 673 00:48:04,920 --> 00:48:07,159 just probably going to be their starters or could you see some just sort of 674 00:48:07,199 --> 00:48:13,320 shape shifting there. Yeah, I could actually see that closing five being like 675 00:48:13,400 --> 00:48:22,079 a Trey de Gante, Bobie Deondrey, and Clint or Onyeka depending on size. 676 00:48:22,039 --> 00:48:28,159 Okay, maybe maybe you could throw Sabek in there a little bit if 677 00:48:28,199 --> 00:48:30,119 you need to think a little bit more about who has been shooting better and 678 00:48:30,280 --> 00:48:36,280 spacing and everything like that. So yeah, I think that or as you 679 00:48:36,360 --> 00:48:39,559 said, default starting five, is there a weird whole lineup that you think 680 00:48:39,559 --> 00:48:45,800 that this team needs to try. I weirdly, and I don't think it 681 00:48:45,840 --> 00:48:49,159 will ever ever happen. I don't think it will ever happen, but I 682 00:48:49,280 --> 00:48:53,079 really, I weirdly want to see what it would look like with Onyeka at 683 00:48:53,079 --> 00:48:57,679 the four and Clint at the five. I know that's what I'm saying. 684 00:48:58,639 --> 00:49:02,519 It's a weird you said weird though, Yeah, weird though. So that's 685 00:49:02,599 --> 00:49:07,440 kind of like my weird old lineup, just because if one is shooting as 686 00:49:07,480 --> 00:49:12,960 well as you think he can, it'll just be weirdly interesting to kind of 687 00:49:12,960 --> 00:49:15,960 see what happens with that. But again, it's a weird old lineup. 688 00:49:15,039 --> 00:49:19,480 It will never happen. So well, I guess in theory, if he's 689 00:49:19,559 --> 00:49:22,840 hitting like corner threes, they could at least float it and see what happens. 690 00:49:22,880 --> 00:49:25,559 I mean, they're not dripping with backup five, so I don't know 691 00:49:25,599 --> 00:49:29,639 why you'd want to put both of your fives. But that's why I said 692 00:49:29,679 --> 00:49:34,239 it will never happen right now, because that would be great for their rebounding 693 00:49:35,159 --> 00:49:37,760 and they would there be a purpose that Okay, we have these two guys, 694 00:49:37,760 --> 00:49:40,360 they could play together. I mean the backup backup five would have been 695 00:49:40,559 --> 00:49:45,920 Bruno Bruno Fernando. Yeah, I don't need to really see a lot of 696 00:49:46,679 --> 00:49:51,000 I so mine. I want to see and they used him like this, 697 00:49:51,159 --> 00:49:52,440 not so much last year, but his first year. Jalen Johnson at the 698 00:49:52,559 --> 00:49:58,960 five. Yeah, and then give me DeAndre Hunter trey and this is this 699 00:49:59,000 --> 00:50:01,000 is how it will get weird. I want to see Kobe Buffkin there, 700 00:50:01,440 --> 00:50:05,440 like, let's have you have two of those, like defensive guards and Murray 701 00:50:05,440 --> 00:50:07,400 and Buffkin. Buffkin knows how to work without the ball, but he's supposed 702 00:50:07,440 --> 00:50:09,440 to be a good finisher at the rim. I know he didn't really fare 703 00:50:09,480 --> 00:50:13,679 too well there and in summer league. She want to see it. It's 704 00:50:13,719 --> 00:50:15,199 so tiny. I don't know what it would look like defensively, but I 705 00:50:15,239 --> 00:50:21,320 feel like you could be a firecracker offensively. I okay, I'm buying what 706 00:50:21,320 --> 00:50:24,119 you're selling. I could see it. I would. Yours has a way 707 00:50:24,159 --> 00:50:31,519 better chance of listen, I don't. I don't think so I'm listen. 708 00:50:31,559 --> 00:50:35,199 Like I said, it's a weirdo line up. I think maybe the other 709 00:50:36,440 --> 00:50:45,039 weirdo lineup is maybe if they're going small, you do bogie at the three? 710 00:50:49,599 --> 00:50:52,039 Do you know DJ and Treyer and their their usual kind of spots. 711 00:50:53,400 --> 00:51:01,199 I guess maybe Sadek at the four and then at the five. It would 712 00:51:01,199 --> 00:51:05,719 be funny to see, oh and then just play him with four guards, 713 00:51:06,360 --> 00:51:07,639 like it's just like, don't even throw Bay in there, like we just 714 00:51:07,679 --> 00:51:12,599 have Griffin and Bogey and Trey and Murray like that would be that'd be another 715 00:51:12,639 --> 00:51:15,079 fun line up to say. I'm telling you you're trying to stress those fives 716 00:51:15,119 --> 00:51:20,599 out, but I mean, if you're gonna be bad defensively anyway, I'm 717 00:51:20,599 --> 00:51:23,519 just I'm gonna lean into it, all right, all right, Okay, 718 00:51:24,000 --> 00:51:28,840 So they're over and I think Nikaia is Duncan of the dunker spot either. 719 00:51:28,880 --> 00:51:31,880 I can't remember what he called the Hawks. They're aggressively mid or aggressively mediocre, 720 00:51:32,000 --> 00:51:37,079 whatever it was. Yeah, they're over. Under is like typifies that. 721 00:51:37,280 --> 00:51:39,320 It's forty one point five as we record this. They won forty one 722 00:51:39,360 --> 00:51:44,559 games last year. If you had to, are you smashing the over the 723 00:51:44,639 --> 00:51:52,400 under on that? I'm gonna say this every time. Vegas is really good 724 00:51:52,400 --> 00:52:00,039 at setting these lines. They're almost always thinkers shoot well, I think unfortunately, 725 00:52:00,039 --> 00:52:04,840 I'm going to have to take the under. Okay. I just think 726 00:52:04,840 --> 00:52:07,800 when you look at some of the other teams in the East, they just 727 00:52:07,920 --> 00:52:15,400 got some of them got so good. I look at like Indiana with an 728 00:52:15,400 --> 00:52:22,719 addition of Bruce Brown. I mean Philly is still a wild card, of 729 00:52:22,760 --> 00:52:31,360 course. Yeah, I don't know. Maybe if I take the under, 730 00:52:31,760 --> 00:52:37,480 I set my expectations low and then I'm pleasantly surprised. I'm going to counter 731 00:52:37,599 --> 00:52:42,079 that and set myself up for pessimism. I'm gonna take the over, and 732 00:52:42,199 --> 00:52:45,679 this my reasoning is probably going to torpedo every single one of my offseason takes. 733 00:52:46,280 --> 00:52:51,039 I think Boston made a huge mistake with the Christops deal, and I 734 00:52:51,079 --> 00:52:54,079 think that their floor is exponentially low. Where you already mentioned the Sixers, 735 00:52:54,079 --> 00:52:57,039 we have no idea what the fuck is going on there, Like, I 736 00:52:57,039 --> 00:53:00,119 don't know what we're supposed to trust about them. Miami really so far as 737 00:53:00,199 --> 00:53:04,679 dropped the ball. They've lost guys that they needed and don't have Dame. 738 00:53:04,760 --> 00:53:07,039 Now if we think they get Dame, that makes it interesting. I think 739 00:53:07,039 --> 00:53:10,920 the Knicks are about as good as they were did over the Cavaliers. I 740 00:53:10,960 --> 00:53:14,800 look at the Hawks team and I just for me, it comes down to 741 00:53:15,079 --> 00:53:19,559 I really love a J Griffin. I love Dalen Johnson, I'm extremely relative 742 00:53:19,599 --> 00:53:22,039 to consensus now high on Trey, and I just firmly believe that Quinn Schneider 743 00:53:22,079 --> 00:53:24,679 is going to be worth at least one extra win. That's just where I 744 00:53:24,760 --> 00:53:31,239 land on it. I like your optimism there for pessimism, I said, 745 00:53:31,480 --> 00:53:35,639 I feel like because I said it, now the Hawk you're gonna be terrible. 746 00:53:35,719 --> 00:53:38,840 It's basically what it is. I think just because I remember that team 747 00:53:38,920 --> 00:53:45,239 last year and just how they absolutely had some stinkers, Like it's just some 748 00:53:45,559 --> 00:53:51,320 awful games where obviously you respect the game. Yes, paper says one thing 749 00:53:52,400 --> 00:53:55,079 as far as how well they're supposed to play, but I just also think 750 00:53:55,079 --> 00:54:01,840 about how well Orlando did last year with where the expectation was for them, 751 00:54:01,840 --> 00:54:07,079 and how well Paolo ban Caro played. I don't know, I still I 752 00:54:07,079 --> 00:54:09,760 guess I have a lot of faith in a team like Boston that has Jason 753 00:54:09,800 --> 00:54:13,880 Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and the expectation is that these two are are going 754 00:54:13,920 --> 00:54:16,800 to continue just taking those steps forward to you know, finally get over that 755 00:54:17,079 --> 00:54:22,480 Eastern Conference, you know finals hump that they seem to be stuck in. 756 00:54:23,320 --> 00:54:28,960 You know, as you said, New York is New York Milwaukee. I 757 00:54:28,960 --> 00:54:30,800 still think, you know, the fact that they were able to retain guys 758 00:54:30,840 --> 00:54:36,400 like brook Brook Lopez and Chris Middleton. They still have a guy like Drew 759 00:54:36,440 --> 00:54:38,960 Holiday. Uh, you know, you're expecting Marjean Beauchamp to just kind of 760 00:54:39,039 --> 00:54:44,320 take that next step forward into his second year. So I don't know. 761 00:54:44,480 --> 00:54:49,119 I just I already mentioned Indie. So that's already what five or six teams 762 00:54:51,199 --> 00:54:54,599 right there. You have the expectations that now that Brooklyn you know, is 763 00:54:55,000 --> 00:54:59,239 used to Jacque Vaughan, they know what his system is, you know, 764 00:54:59,320 --> 00:55:01,440 Michail Bridges, you know, and Cam Johnson are supposed to, you know, 765 00:55:01,840 --> 00:55:06,800 take those steps forward. I don't know. I just and then again 766 00:55:07,039 --> 00:55:12,199 you're I'm factoring in if they already you know, get Dames. So yeah, 767 00:55:12,280 --> 00:55:15,320 I haven't even mentioned Cleveland. I don't know what's going on there, 768 00:55:15,480 --> 00:55:20,039 but I still think the expectation is that they'll finish where around where they finished 769 00:55:20,159 --> 00:55:22,840 last year. So that book puts the Hawks around ninth if you put India 770 00:55:22,880 --> 00:55:27,239 above the Hawks. So yeah, I mean that's a great point too. 771 00:55:27,400 --> 00:55:30,559 Yeah, you have I would say we were beating agreeing with at Milwaukee, 772 00:55:30,679 --> 00:55:34,360 and even I don't like Boston, but Boston's better than Atlanta. I would 773 00:55:34,360 --> 00:55:37,920 put Cleveland ahead of Atlanta. I think if you just want to throw Miami 774 00:55:37,039 --> 00:55:39,639 mare because the Dame stuff, like, let's just assume Miami there. That's 775 00:55:39,760 --> 00:55:44,639 four. I don't know what to say about the Sixers, but let's just 776 00:55:45,199 --> 00:55:49,119 if they have hardened and beat Okay, that's five. I would say Atlanta 777 00:55:49,199 --> 00:55:52,199 is probably better than Brooklyn. I think people l Bridges was great, but 778 00:55:52,239 --> 00:55:57,400 the Nets were bad, like after trade. Yeah, and I guess it's 779 00:55:57,400 --> 00:55:59,920 probably easy to like, what are the teams they're guaranteed to be better than? 780 00:56:00,079 --> 00:56:02,880 I think Detroit, Charlotte, Washington. For sure, they're not going 781 00:56:02,960 --> 00:56:07,880 to be trying to win. Toronto's a disaster. That's probably the only four 782 00:56:07,920 --> 00:56:13,639 you could guarantee, like with Orlando, Chicago, Indie, as you already 783 00:56:13,639 --> 00:56:15,039 mentioned, like a bunch of wild cards. So it does feel like the 784 00:56:15,079 --> 00:56:17,760 Hawks, like your ceiling might be like fifth, but they feel like they 785 00:56:17,760 --> 00:56:21,719 could also have a floor of like like I don't know, like ten or 786 00:56:21,760 --> 00:56:25,280 eleventh or something exact. Yeah, that's tough, So I totally get. 787 00:56:27,639 --> 00:56:31,280 I totally get where you're coming from. Now, is there anything about this 788 00:56:31,320 --> 00:56:34,559 team or anyone on this team. I didn't ask about that. You think 789 00:56:34,599 --> 00:56:40,159 he needs to be discussed. Yeah, I think we touched on everybody, 790 00:56:40,920 --> 00:56:45,159 especially because the expectation is that, you know, those rookies aren't going to 791 00:56:45,199 --> 00:56:47,320 play, even though those are the guys that I'm kind of the most excited 792 00:56:47,400 --> 00:56:52,840 to. I love Kobe Buffin. He went to Atlanta because I wanted him 793 00:56:52,880 --> 00:56:54,679 to play, and I just I don't see it happening. Yeah, I 794 00:56:54,840 --> 00:57:00,880 just unless, like I said, unless he can be kind of you know, 795 00:57:01,039 --> 00:57:06,199 jump take a jump over or leap frog some of those guys or really 796 00:57:06,280 --> 00:57:13,800 small. Absolutely, absolutely, but yeah, yeah, I don't know. 797 00:57:13,880 --> 00:57:16,880 I think we kind of touched on everything. It's it's going to be an 798 00:57:16,880 --> 00:57:22,280 interesting season because I think everybody can agree that the Hawks did not get better 799 00:57:22,360 --> 00:57:27,559 this offseason. I think my I think my biggest thing is just I want 800 00:57:27,559 --> 00:57:30,679 to see how they start out of the gate, just because last season, 801 00:57:31,920 --> 00:57:37,159 it's like, again, they didn't beat the teams they were quote unquote supposed 802 00:57:37,199 --> 00:57:42,599 to beat, and then they were very competitive against teams that you know, 803 00:57:42,679 --> 00:57:45,280 you had no expectation of them winning. Like I think about again that Denver 804 00:57:45,360 --> 00:57:50,480 game where Trade didn't show up, they beat the Nuggets, and I'm like 805 00:57:51,119 --> 00:57:54,079 the team that eventually went on to win the finals. So I don't know. 806 00:57:54,119 --> 00:57:58,840 It's just again, I think this is going to be an interesting season. 807 00:57:59,159 --> 00:58:01,199 Again, I don't think they necessarily got better, and it will be 808 00:58:01,320 --> 00:58:07,480 interesting to see where they are by the trade deadline and what decisions they're going 809 00:58:07,559 --> 00:58:12,159 to make from there, just because they haven't really done a ton of splashy 810 00:58:12,199 --> 00:58:17,480 moves outside of the Murray trade. And I wouldn't even necessarily consider John Collins 811 00:58:17,519 --> 00:58:22,840 a splashing move unfortunately, because he's been dangled out there for the last three 812 00:58:22,920 --> 00:58:24,559 years, fifteen years. It feels like, yeah, he was in trade 813 00:58:24,599 --> 00:58:30,559 rumors longer when he was in the NBA somehow exactly. So yeah, I 814 00:58:30,559 --> 00:58:38,199 mean, I think if they somehow managed to get Siakam, I think maybe 815 00:58:38,199 --> 00:58:43,239 that will be a big surprise and how that works. But I don't know. 816 00:58:43,559 --> 00:58:47,480 This team is. As Nika I said aggressively, mid Lauren, this 817 00:58:47,599 --> 00:58:51,159 was great. Thank you so much for coming back on. Are you able 818 00:58:51,159 --> 00:58:53,079 to tell our listeners where they can find you and all the great work that 819 00:58:53,119 --> 00:58:59,760 you do. Absolutely, you can find me on Twitter at Williams Lauren. 820 00:59:00,039 --> 00:59:04,119 Well, I have been cursed with a very common last name, so it 821 00:59:04,159 --> 00:59:07,159 was hard to, you know, settle on a handle it. I think 822 00:59:07,159 --> 00:59:09,159 it took me about like three years to finally settle on that, and that's 823 00:59:09,199 --> 00:59:14,719 why the best one. And then you can find my work at the ajac 824 00:59:14,920 --> 00:59:20,199 dot com, slash Atlanta Hawks, well sports slash Atlanta Hawks or whatever. 825 00:59:21,360 --> 00:59:22,400 Well, thank you so much again for coming on. I'll be sure to 826 00:59:22,400 --> 00:59:25,639 follow her on Twitter and all the great worked at more does. Thank you 827 00:59:25,719 --> 00:59:28,960 so much, and as you know by now, I will be festering you 828 00:59:29,159 --> 00:59:30,519 get in the future. Love it.