By recruiting Patty Mills and Wesley Matthews this summer, the Hawks have had plenty of experience. The two players each have 14 seasons under their belt: the first played 860 regular season matches and 95 in the playoffs, winning the title in 2014 with the Spurs. The second ? 950 matches in the regular season and 66 in the playoffs.
As the Atlanta team is mainly made up of players who have no more than four seasons of experience in the league – which is not nothing – having a duo who has logged so many kilometers, it is a well of information for the youngest.
“Wes is a great leader, a great veteran to have around”confides rookie Kobe Bufkin for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We talk constantly because he’s not afraid to say things. Many veterans say nothing, not him, who is not afraid to speak his mind. I appreciate that. »
AJ Griffin, rookie last season, has already approached Patty Mills to get some advice and tips.
“He wants to learn and he asks a lot of questions,” confides the Australian. “He is impatient, he wants to improve, he wants to know more and wants to understand. This is the first step. Then he plays and tries to put it into practice. As a leader and a veteran, you feed off that and it’s nice to see where I can help. »
The two veterans arrive in a team where there is no shortage of stars – Trae Young and Dejounte Murray obviously – and they will be more of a voice than players who will carry the group on the floors. But it will be important.
“We have a squad full of leaders and it’s about everyone feeling comfortable. We don’t all have to do it the same way.” notes Wes Matthews. “My way of being a leader doesn’t have to be the same as Patty Mills’s, or Young’s, Murray’s or Clint Capela’s. You simply have to respect and accept these manners. And I thank Quin Snyder, plus Young, Murray and Clint for letting Patty and I be those veterans. We can’t come and say: we’re going to do it like this. We need cohesion, for everyone to fight for each other and that’s what I feel here. »
| Shots | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Bp | Int | Ct | Party | Pts |
| Trae Young | 73 | 34.8 | 42.9 | 33.5 | 88.6 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 10.2 | 4.1 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 26.2 |
| Dejounte Murray | 74 | 36.4 | 46.4 | 34.4 | 83.2 | 0.7 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 6.1 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 20.5 |
| De’andre Hunter | 67 | 31.7 | 46.1 | 35.0 | 82.6 | 0.7 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 3.0 | 15.4 |
| Bogdan Bogdanovic | 54 | 27.9 | 44.7 | 40.6 | 83.1 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 14.0 |
| John Collins | 71 | 30.0 | 50.8 | 29.2 | 80.3 | 1.1 | 5.4 | 6.5 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 13.1 |
| Clint Capela | 65 | 26.6 | 65.3 | 0.0 | 60.3 | 4.0 | 7.1 | 11.0 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 12.0 |
| Saddiq Bey | 25 | 25.1 | 47.0 | 40.0 | 86.2 | 1.6 | 3.2 | 4.8 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 11.6 |
| Onyeka Okongwu | 80 | 23.1 | 63.8 | 30.8 | 78.1 | 2.7 | 4.5 | 7.2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 3.1 | 9.9 |
| Aj Griffin, Jr. | 72 | 19.5 | 46.5 | 39.0 | 89.4 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 8.9 |
| Jalen Johnson | 70 | 14.9 | 49.1 | 28.8 | 62.8 | 0.7 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 5.6 |
| Garrison Mathews | 9 | 9.4 | 41.9 | 40.0 | 87.5 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 4.8 |
| Justin Holiday | 28 | 14.7 | 38.4 | 34.5 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 4.5 |
| Jarrett Culver | 10 | 13.7 | 39.5 | 8.3 | 69.2 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 3.8 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 4.4 |
| Aaron Holiday | 63 | 13.4 | 41.8 | 40.9 | 84.4 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 3.9 |
| Bruno Fernando | 8 | 5.2 | 57.9 | 0.0 | 83.3 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 3.4 |
| Frank Kaminsky | 26 | 6.8 | 56.8 | 47.8 | 83.3 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 2.7 |
| Trent Forrest | 23 | 12.0 | 41.7 | 0.0 | 66.7 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 2.3 |
| Donovan Williams | 2 | 2.1 | 40.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| Tyrese Martin | 16 | 4.1 | 39.1 | 14.3 | 100.0 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.3 |
| Vit Krejci | 29 | 5.7 | 40.5 | 23.8 | 50.0 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 1.2 |
