The players out:
- Trae Young (role star)
- Onyeka Okongwu (role player)
- Saddiq Bey (role player)
- AJ Griffin (sophomore)
- Kobe Bufkin (rookie)
- Seth Lundy (rookie)
- Mouhamed Gueye (rookie)
The Hawks roster is filled with a role star (Dejounte Murray), a role starter (Clint Capela), a role player (De'Andre Hunter), and a veteran in the twilight of his career (Wesley Matthews). Not only would I keep an eye on Matthews, they have to be vigilant against the no-namers; Clippers have a tendency of turning rookies and scrubs into All-Stars for a day.
OG, remember when you said to me that relying on the outlier spirit is a bad thing? Given that the Hawks have always played .500 ever since they drafted Young, well, today might be a case study on that claim. Of all the trap games Clippers had to face, this might be the toughest one. Their win over them could knock Hawks out of the playoffs, but a loss to them could save Atlanta's season. Clippers have difficulty dealing with lottery teams, always playing down to their competition in hopes of brightening up their mediocre season. They cannot let their personal emotions get in the way of business. Let's hope Clippers take them seriously as if they're a title contender threat than another cakewalk that is beneath them because of their current standing.