Atlanta Hawks Basketball: Biggest Takeaways From Hawks 121-119 Loss to Washington

Atlanta had their losing streak extended to two games after falling to the Wizards

Oct 28, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) reacts to a call during the game against the Washington Wizards during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks have hit their first rough patch of the season after the loss to the Washington Wizards. After a 2-0 start, the Hawks dropped their first game of the year on Sunday to Oklahoma City, but there is no shame in that as the Thunder are one of the top teams in the NBA and the current favorite in the Western Conference. Losing to the Wizards is another thing though. Washington is projected to be among the worst teams in the NBA and looked dreadful in their first two games.

So what are the big takeaways from last night's game?

1. The Hawks injuries are starting to pile up

Look, losing to the Wizards is bad and I am not here to argue it isn't, but the Hawks were down five of their top rotation players, including their two backup point guards/ball handlers. Atlanta was missing Kobe Bufkin, De'Andre Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Onyeka Okongwu heading into the night then proceeded to lose Vit Krejci to injury in the second quarter. Even against a team like Washington, not having five players is tough. It was not the only reason they lost, but it should not be overlooked.

2. The Hawks need to figure out the backup point guard situation

Coming into the year, one of the big question marks for the Hawks was who would be the backup point guard and handle the ball handling duties when Trae Young was off the floor. That was previously handles by Dejounte Murray, but it was something that was a question mark. Second year guard Kobe Bufkin was the player that was supposed to step up in that role, but he is dealing with an injury. Krejci then took over before getting hurt last night, but even before his injury, it was a mixed bag.

If the Hawks want to make a push for the playoffs, they have to figure this out. It won't be easy though considering their options.

3. Trae Young had by far his worst game of the year

Young has been awesome this season, but last night was rough. He scored six points and hit two shots in the first few minutes of the game, but he missed his final 13 shots, including the game-winner. Young finished with 14 points and 13 assists on 2-15 shooting, including 2-10 from three. He did not hit a two-point shot and seemed to struggle with Bilal Coulibaly all night long. No player is immune from a bad game and the Hawks are asking Young to do a lot with the backups out, but it was not a good performance.

4. Jalen Johnson finally looked like himself

Johnson has had a slow start to the season, but he put together a monster effort last night. Johnson had 29 points on 11-17 shooting, to go along with 12 rebounds and seven assists. In a night full of bad, Johnson stood out for the Hawks and for their sake, they need him to continue on this trajectory.

5. The Wizards had a tremendous three-point shooting night

The Hawks have one of the weirdest defensive profiles in the NBA. They are 9th in overall field goal percentage allowed, but they are dead last in the NBA in three-point percentage allowed, 30th in three-pointers allowed per game, and 29th in three point attempts allowed. In each game this year, the opposing team has shot the ball well from three and last night was no exception. Washington finished 21-44 (48%) from three and they were 13-25 in the second half. Whether it was Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Poole, or Corey Kispert, the Hawks could not slow the Wizards three point attack and it cost them last night.

6. The Third Quarter is where the game was lost

After leading by seven at the half, the third quarter was a disaster for the Hawks. They were outscored 30-22 in the third quarter. The Hawks shot the ball well, but the Wizards were 8-16 from three and the Hawks had 10 turnovers. It was a sloppy quarter and it helped the Wizards win.

7. Zaccharie Risacher continues to struggle on offense

Risacher is doing a lot of little things right such as defense, rebounding, and being in the right position. However, he is not shooting the ball well right now and was 1-8 from the floor and 1-4 from three. He had a chance to tie the game near the end, but his three went off the side of the backboard and that led to Jordan Poole hitting a dagger three-pointer. Risacher should be able to figure things out, but as far as shooting the ball goes, it is not going well.