Jalen Johnson may be better than De'Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish

[bird_dirt]

22 hours ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

 

The dude talking in the video kinda sounds like Bill Murray in Caddyshack. 

[Spud2nique]

7 minutes ago, bird_dirt said:

The dude talking in the video kinda sounds like Bill Murray in Caddyshack. 

He wishes. 

[macdaddy]

JJ just reminds me of Josh Smith but hopefully makes better decisions.  JJ's passing is already superior though.  

[kg01]

1 hour ago, bird_dirt said:

The dude talking in the video kinda sounds like Bill Murray in Caddyshack. 

Another  things everybody says are funny but really ain't. 

52 minutes ago, macdaddy said:

JJ just reminds me of Josh Smith but hopefully makes better decisions.  JJ's passing is already superior though.  

At the end of the year, he's gonna remind you and @Spud2nique of Lebron.  No-homer. 

[macdaddy]

1 minute ago, kg01 said:

Another  things everybody says are funny but really ain't. 

 

[kg01]

1 hour ago, macdaddy said:

Yeah but Caddyshack is new to the list. 

[Spud2nique]

3 hours ago, kg01 said:

Another  things everybody says are funny but really ain't. 

At the end of the year, he's gonna remind you and @Spud2nique of Lebron.  No-homer. 

You want me to hate him more..? 
 

Here all week!  

ps I kid blow up JJ blow up like our last 6 time in a row Atlanta all star JJ why not baby!!!

[macdaddy]

3 hours ago, kg01 said:

Yeah but Caddyshack is new to the list. 

I loved caddyshack in my youth.  I rewatched and it doesn't hold up that well.  It's still pretty good but not as funny as you remember it.  

[kg01]

1 hour ago, macdaddy said:

I loved caddyshack in my youth.  I rewatched and it doesn't hold up that well.  It's still pretty good but not as funny as you remember it.  

It's definitely as funny as I remember it. (I.e., not at all) 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[shakes]

anyone else think our whole season rides on this guy taking the next step?

[macdaddy]

24 minutes ago, shakes said:

anyone else think our whole season rides on this guy taking the next step?

yep because we have to have an offensive weapon in the frontcourt.  If it's  not JJ then we'll have to make a trade.  

[JayBirdHawk]

Atlanta Hawks secret weapon to keep an eye on in the preseason

by Joshua Buckhalter5 hours ago

The Atlanta Hawks made several moves this offseason but their biggest one removed one starter from the equation.

While they have been linked to Toronto Raptors star Pascal Siakam in trade rumors for some time, they might be better off going with an in-house candidate. One who could be their secret weapon if he shows the right things in the preseason. That player is third-year forward Jalen Johnson.

Johnson, 21, was the No. 20 overall pick in the 2020 draft by the Hawks and averaged 5.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists last season while making 70 appearances with six starts last season.

He averaged 8.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in those six starts.

Jalen Johnson vs Saddiq Bey a battle to watch in Hawks training camp

Early money should be on Saddiq Bey to get the first crack at starting at power forward next season.

The Hawks were 1-5 with Johnson as a starter, though they were missing other key pieces in each of those games. But they also posted a minus-5.1 net rating with Johnson at power forward without Bey on the floor last season without Bey, and a plus-18.5 net rating with Bey at power forward and Johnson off instead, per Cleaning The Glass.

Bey, 24, averaged 11.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and shot 40% with Atlanta last season.

It was a small sample size – just 11 regular season games – but his ability to stretch the floor aligns with head coach Quin Snyder’s ethos more closely than Johnson’s on-ball style, especially with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray soaking up plenty of minutes. Snyder’s Utah Jazz teams relied heavily on the three-ball during his tenure.If there is a rub, it’s this: over the final six games, Bey drew five starts. He averaged 13.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.8 steals but he also shot just 29.6% from beyond the arc in those contests.

Everything was in flux last season so training camp and the preseason could be a time of revelations.

One of those revelations could be that the coaching staff needs to find ways to get the ball into Johnson’s hands more often and let him go to work. If his three-point shot shows real progress, he could put that much more pressure on the competition for the starting power forward spot, be it Bey or another teammate or outsideThe Hawks have a couple of other players who could be considered their secret weapon from Bey to second-year man AJ Griffin, and perhaps even some of their rookies. But Johnson figures to make a surprising impact whether he starts or comes off the bench.

https://soaringdownsouth.com/2023/08/23/atlanta-hawks-secret-weapon-keep-eye-preseason/

[thecampster]

The camp battle 4 people, 2 spots. 

 

Why Johnson over Bey at the 4: Johnson makes his opponent work. He moves without the ball (and with). He makes the defense work as he's always a threat to pass. Good hands and makes rebounding look easy.

Why Bey over Johnson at the 4:  Bey shoots a better percentage from 3. Bey hustles. Not normal hustle, the guy never gives up on a play. You reward that. He's next level hustle.

Why Bey over Griffin/Hunter at the 3: see above, hustle. Best rebounder at 3 and best hair. Bey makes defenders work harder.

Why Hunter over Griffin/Bey at the 3:  Best 3 point shooter. Best 1v1 defender, more versatile defender. The contract. Decent drive and score game 1v1.

Why Griffin over Hunter/Bey at the 3:  Best potential 3 point shooter. Best team defender. Highest bbiq. Best handles.

 

Camp battle will be fun. We will see if DH has been working privately or not.

[Phunkabilly]

6 hours ago, thecampster said:

The camp battle 4 people, 2 spots. 

 

Why Johnson over Bey at the 4: Johnson makes his opponent work. He moves without the ball (and with). He makes the defense work as he's always a threat to pass. Good hands and makes rebounding look easy.

Why Bey over Johnson at the 4:  Bey shoots a better percentage from 3. Bey hustles. Not normal hustle, the guy never gives up on a play. You reward that. He's next level hustle.

Why Bey over Griffin/Hunter at the 3: see above, hustle. Best rebounder at 3 and best hair. Bey makes defenders work harder.

Why Hunter over Griffin/Bey at the 3:  Best 3 point shooter. Best 1v1 defender, more versatile defender. The contract. Decent drive and score game 1v1.

Why Griffin over Hunter/Bey at the 3:  Best potential 3 point shooter. Best team defender. Highest bbiq. Best handles.

 

Camp battle will be fun. We will see if DH has been working privately or not.

Agree with all your points except about Hunter being the best 3 point shooter over Griffin and Bey.  I think Griffin is clearly the better three point shooter, with Hunter and Bey being pretty close to each other.

Even though I'm a huge JJ stan, my hope is that Bey and Hunter start with JJ coming off the bench, so long as JJ gets 20+ mpg (preferably 25+ mpg).  I really really like him out there with the second unit with Trae/Bogi or DJ/Bogi as opposed to getting most of his minutes with the starters with Trae/DJ.  To really maximize his skillset, he needs the ball in his hands a decent amount, and I think that's much more likely to happen with the second unit as opposed to having the Trae/DJ duo dominate the ball.  Bey and Hunter aren't really playmakers, so they would probably fit in with the Trae/DJ duo better.

Edited August 23, 2023 by Phunkabilly

[thecampster]

6 minutes ago, Phunkabilly said:

Agree with all your points except about Hunter being the best 3 point shooter over Griffin and Bey.  I think Griffin is clearly the better three point shooter, with Hunter and Bey being pretty close to each other.

Even though I'm a huge JJ stan, my hope is that Bey and Hunter start with JJ coming off the bench, so long as JJ gets 20+ mpg (preferably 25+ mpg).  I really really like him out there with the second unit with Trae/Bogi or DJ/Bogi as opposed to getting most of his minutes with the starters with Trae/DJ.  To really maximize his skillset, he needs the ball in his hands a decent amount, and I think that's much more likely to happen with the second unit as opposed to having the Trae/DJ duo dominate the ball.  Bey and Hunter aren't really playmakers, so they would probably fit in with the Trae/DJ duo better.

I think Griffin will be. He fell off end of the year and Hunter finished with the better % which is why I mentioned it.  Those are the reasons that will be cited when 1 player or another wins the role.

[bird_dirt]

I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a JJ+Bey front court for brief periods from time to time. Run n gun with JJ being a secondary playmaker with whoever is playing point. 

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, bird_dirt said:

I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a JJ+Bey front court for brief periods from time to time. Run n gun with JJ being a secondary playmaker with whoever is playing point. 

Are you trying to get me to post or..? 

If JJ and Buf blow I get to @kg01  

Edited August 24, 2023 by Spud2nique

[warcore]

On 8/17/2023 at 8:55 AM, kg01 said:

At the end of the year, he's gonna remind you and @Spud2nique of Lebron.  No-homer. 

Cam Reddish is Randy Moss's Dad

[thecampster]

1 hour ago, warcore said:

Cam Reddish is Randy Moss's Dad

I see what you did there.