Hawks vs Bulls: Game Preview, Injury Report, and Projected Starting Lineups For Tonight's Summer League Matchup

The Hawks are 0-3 so far in Summer League

Jul 14, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Knox II (31) blocks a shot by Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis (14) during the third quarter at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Hawks have only two more Summer League Games left in Las Vegas. Atlanta is 0-3 so far in Summer League, but they were down most of their key players on Wednesday night vs the Lakers. It is not known as of right now whether Zaccharie Risacher or Dylan Windler will play tonight, but Kobe Bufkin and Nikola Durisic are not going to play. There is always a chance the Bulls hold out players too, so keep an eye on injury reports ahead of tonight's game. Not only that but forward Mouhamed Gueye was injured in Wednesday's game and his status has not been revealed yet.

If Risacher does end up playing, this is going to be an intriguing matchup between him and Matas Buzelis, the No. 11 pick in this year's draft. Buzelis has gotten off to a great start in Summer League so far and looks very comfortable already. Before the draft, Buzelis sat down with Shams Charania and had this to say about a matchup with Risacher:

Potential top-5 NBA pick Matas Buzelis sits down with @Stadium: “I respect Zach (Risacher) as a player…He just doesn’t want to see me. I’m just going to keep it real with everybody.”

On “disrespect” of Ignite shutdown; Franz Wagner, PG, Andrei Kirilenko, Jaden McDaniels; more: pic.twitter.com/nZpLsoCkVp

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 25, 2024

That adds a layer of intrigue to this game tonight assuming both players will play.

Here is a preview for tonight's matchup.

Game Preview

With Durisic and Bufkin out, Keaton Wallace has taken over at point guard and there have been mixed results. The first game saw Wallace be really solid on both ends of the floor and even earn him a two-way contract. The second game vs the Spurs was not as good, but he bounced back on Wednesday night vs the Lakers, scoring 13 points and shooting 2-4 from three. Wallace is going to be one of the most intirguing players to watch on the Hawks this season from a developmental perspective.

Emmitt Matthews got the start in place of Risacher, but only played 14 minutes and shot the ball just once.

If Risacher plays and starts, I want to see if he can be more efficent shooting the basketball than he was for the first two games. Risacher has flashed a lot of good things this Summer, but the shooting is the one thing that he has not done well in two games. The playmaking, defense, and rebounding has been good, but Risacher was touted as a good shooter before the draft and that has not shown yet.

Moses Wood got the start in place of Windler in the last game and had a solid performance in 27 minutes of action. Wood shot 2-6 from three, scoring 10 points and pulling in four rebounds. If Windler does not play, I would think Wood gets the start again.

Gueye has had an up-and-down Summer League leading up to his injury on Wednesday. He is in contention for a prominent role off the bench but has not done enough to seize it just yet. Gueye was having a good night on Wednesday before the hip injury. If Gueye does not play, I think E.J. Liddell would get the start. Liddell was the star of Sunday's game vs the Spurs, scoring over 20 points, but he came back down to Earth on Wednesday against the Lakers. Liddell scored only four points on 1-8 shooting in 26 minutes. Liddell is also fighting for a roster spot with the Hawks.

Rob Baker will likely start at center again tonight for the Hawks. Baker has been solid so far in Summer League, with his best performances coming in the last two games.

Off the bench, Jarkel Joiner, Miles Norris, and Jonathan Bowden should see playing time tonight. Bowden got his first chance to play on Wednesday and it was an uneven performance. Joiner and Norris have been two of the Hawks best players off the bench this Summer, with Joiner having a great game on Wednesday with 27 points on 4-7 shooting from three.

Aside from seeing who actually plays, I want to see the Hawks play with some consistency tonight vs Chicago. I know expecting consistency sounds crazy for Summer League, but the Hawks have not been able to do it for three games. It looked like they were going to pull away from the Lakers on Wednesday night after scoring 31 points in the third quarter, but then they only scored 14 in the 4th and lost by one. The offense has been mostly bad throughout the Summer and that is the No.1 thing I would like to see tonight. Liddell, Wallace, Joiner and Norris are the guys I will watch closely tonight.

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G- Keaton Wallace

G-Zaccharie Risacher

F-Dylan Windler

F- Mouhamed Gueye

C- Rob Baker

Until they are ruled out, I will project Risacher, Windler, and Gueye to play, but that does not mean they will.

Bulls:

G- D.J. Steward

F- Julian Phillips

F-Henri Drell

F-Matas Buzelis

C- Adama Sonogo