2019 All Star Weekend -- Hawks to be well represented

[Jamaaliver]

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[fuzzy1]

That dunk with the plane was (unintentionally) hilarious. First dunk was solid though.

At least Trae showed out

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[jayu70]

I'm liking Team Giannis.

[Jamaaliver]

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[Jamaaliver]

Filler content from Bleacher Report:

NBA Youngsters on the Edge of All-Star Status

Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks



Age: 20

Per-Game Stats: 16.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.2 blocks

Spoiler:

Trae Young didn't exactly begin his rookie season in sterling fashion. Just under two months into his inaugural efforts with the Atlanta Hawks, he was traveling down an ignominious path toward some of the worst numbers ever accrued in the NBA.

But even during that rough opening, you could find flashes of positive production that indicated brighter days. You just had to look for them.

Now, they're much more obvious and coming with far more frequency.

During Young's last 20 appearances before the All-Star break, he averaged 20.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 0.9 steals while shooting 42.8 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from beyond the arc and 81.1 percent at the stripe.

He became a legitimate playmaker operating within the flow of the offensive schemes rather than forcing the action and seeking out shooting attempts just for the sake of firing away. That's tremendous growth for a 20-year-old point guard, especially when he already boasts plenty of inherent ability and extreme passing vision that could easily make him one of the league's deadliest distributors.

Young will probably always function as a defensive anchor—not the kind who holds down the fort for a team, but the kind who drags down the entire unit with his inability to check his assignments. Turnovers continue to be an issue for this aggressive distributor, who can try to squeeze the ball into tight spaces a bit too frequently. His floater needs further development so it can serve as a reliable weapon.

But the pieces are coming together quicker than expected after the lackluster beginning to his career, and that should have the Hawks excited about what they can do with him leading the charge for a young nucleus that will only trend in the upward direction.

John Collins, Atlanta Hawks



Age: 21

Per-Game Stats: 19.1 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.4 blocks

Spoiler:

John Collins' delayed debut immediately sparked growth from the Atlanta Hawks. By giving them a dangerous off-ball threat who could knock down spot-up triples or cut to the rim and finish plays with thunderous slams, he drew defensive attention away from everyone else and facilitated rises to prominence from Trae Young and the other developing players.

With this 21-year-old on the bench, Atlanta has only mustered a minus-9.4 net rating. When he plays, that putrid mark skyrockets to minus-2.3—still unfortunate, but far more respectable and the best mark among all Hawks who consistently factor into the rotation employed by head coach Lloyd Pierce.

That impact shouldn't change as the Peach State representatives become even more competitive. Nor should Collins' sterling individual numbers, which are predicated upon remaining hyper-efficient within the flow of the offensive schemes.

Whether he's tasked with hitting an open shooter on the short roll, finishing plays around the basket or knocking down jumpers, he rarely makes bad decisions en route to just 2.1 turnovers per game and a 63.6 true shooting percentage.

For perspective, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry are the only other qualified players throughout the NBA scoring at least 19 points per contest with a true shooting percentage no worse than 63 percent. Maintaining that level of play for more than a half-season should thrust Collins into the conversation, even if he remains a detrimental defender who doesn't create too much of his own offense.

[kg01]

Can we pretend the plane never happened? I've wiped the whole dunk contest from my remembry.

What's a dunk contest? Man the Hawks show'd out in the Rookie game, amirite?

See, it works.

[kg01]

In case anyone wondered why Isola is 'my guy', his take on the dunk contest was stte:

"How can a guy miss a dunk 13 times and still get a 50? The poor guy Collins came up with all these crazy ideas and made his dunks on the 1st try but he gets penalized? There should be a penalty for missing."

That's my guy.

[Jamaaliver]

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[Atlanta Hawk Fan]

Wish Trae would have come away with the skills win but he was as close as possible. A lucky midcourt bank shot is just that -- lucky. Just have to shrug your shoulders. No doing anything with that kind of luck.

[Jamaaliver]

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[Jamaaliver]

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[Hazer]

I look at it like this: J-Bap won the damn dunk contest in the Rising Stars Game...