It's not often you see a struggling team absolutely destroy its opponent. Well, about that.
About that...last night, ATL crushed SAC by a franchise-record 46 points.
46!
Of all the talented Hawks squads, the last 7-8 years specifically, it's hard to to fathom this is the bunch w/ the largest margin of victory. And that's no knock on this current iteration of ATL - they're clearly rebuilding and would rather position themselves for the future instead of a middling standing out East.
That said, "rebuilding" years are where you discover what certain players can & can't do & who consistently shows up in the midst of adversity/losses.
During last night's blowout, a few Hawks showed out:
• Dewayne Dedmon: DD - career-high 20, 14 & 5 dimes -- D. Dedmon is playing well to kick off 2017-18: he's avg. a career-best 10.8 points & 8.3 boards; reached double figures in 3 straight games
• Dennis Schröder: 21 & 8 dimes (25 min.) -- Schröder may very well be the best PG no one's paying attn to - if ATL were in playoff contention, he'd be a more viable candidate for the ASG - avg. 20 & 7 dimes
• Tauren Prince: 14, 8 dimes, 5 boards, 4 steals -- 8 dimes for any swingman is impressive - Prince is coming into his own as a versatile threat at the 3; contributed 3 triples, tough on the glass & in passing lanes; breaking out in Year 2?
• John Collins: 14 & 8 boards (off bench) -- J. Collins' output is solid, when his activity is high, ATL is able to secure second-chance opps. & buckets inside (after the catch)
• Luke Babbitt: 13 pts (ll min.) -- As a starter, L. Babbitt is showcasing his ability to move without the rock, create his own shot & cash open spot-ups; if healthy moving forward (left game w/ ), look for him to stay involved once E. Ilyasova & M. Muscala return
• Isaiah Taylor: 12 & 4 dimes (22 min.) -- Acquired at the beginning of the season, second-year guard Isaiah Taylor has carved his placed in ATL's rotation; he's impressed Coach Bud enough to consistently deploy three-guard sets (ft. D. Schröder & M. Delaney among others) to get him extra PT; very good dribble penetrator who's gotten better from deep (hit 3/4 triples v. SAC)