Sarah K. Spencer: De’Andre Hunter played 5-on-5 today, Nate McMillan says. Did some scrimmaging. They will wait to see how his knee feels tomorrow. But McMillan says as far as he knows, everything went fine today.
Atlanta Hawks Rumors
Kevin Chouinard: Nate McMillan made it sound like De’Andre Hunter would be, at best, a game-time decision for Monday’s game pending tomorrow’s practice and Monday morning’s walkthrough.
Sarah K. Spencer: I asked Bogdan Bogdanovic what it would mean for the Hawks to get De’Andre Hunter back: “He was honestly our best player before injury, most consistent player. So we all know how much we miss him, and he knows as well. It’s good to see him hooping today, and he looks good.”
Justin Kubatko: Trae Young appeared in his 200th NBA game last night, recording 30 points and 10 assists. Young now has 31 career 30-point, 10-assist games. The only players in NBA history with more such games through their first 200 games played are Oscar Robertson and Nate Archibald. pic.twitter.com/Ndu7VOnAIm
Sarah K. Spencer: Nate McMillan said Cam Reddish has been doing more with movement. “Each day he’s doing a little bit more. Not really running but some spot-up shots is what he has been doing the last couple days.”
Nate McMillan’s success in Atlanta, after Indiana curiously fired him back in August just two weeks following a contract-extension agreement, has further muddied these waters. Multiple league sources with knowledge of the situation described McMillan’s additional year as something more of a parting gift than an earnest extension. By the Orlando bubble when Miami swept Indiana in the first round of the playoffs, Pacers players had grown fatigued by McMillan’s tough-minded approach, sources said. His slower-paced scheme, which diverged from modern trends of playing style—Indiana finished 30th in the NBA in three-point attempts per game last season—was also a source of consternation within the organization.
The Hawks had the worst center rotation in the league last season and replacing that with 30 minutes Capela has been the main thing vaulting them into the East’s top five. His addition helped fortify a rather shaky perimeter defense with his rim protection and rebounding, a key reason the Hawks improved from 27th to 22nd in defense this year despite adding multiple offense-only players. The stats show the defense is respectable with Capela (108.0 opponent offensive rating) and flammable without (114.2). It’s not hard to see why: Capela’s 6.1 percent block rate is the league’s fifth best, despite the fact he doesn’t recklessly chase blocks.
