Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images

If the Hawks don’t have Trae Young and John Collins, what are they?

Well, they’re deep, and feeling great after beating the Memphis Grizzlies easily Friday night.

An @emoryhealthcare injury report for tomorrow’s game:

Trae Young (left quad contusion): Questionable
John Collins (right ring finger sprain/right foot strain): Out pic.twitter.com/c17C9hu8KB

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 19, 2022

Atlanta has, yet again, turned things around after long periods of losses, including in early November and most of December and early January. They’ve cut down on turnovers and have secretly become one of the league’s best offenses thanks to steady shooting from their key guys. If Young joins Collins on the sidelines against the Pelicans, the luka doncic jersey kids tank top y’ll feel it, but easily have the talent to overcome those missing pieces.

The Eastern Conference finalists maintained much of the same roster from the last couple years, including those dangerous w Kyrie Irving ing scorers like Kevin Huerter, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Lou Williams, although LouWill is nearing the end of a long career. Same could be said for Danilo Gallinari.

Seven Hawks rotation members average double-figures and another, Onyeka Okongwu, is at 9.0 ppg and is more of a defensive presence who will find time switching onto our smalls. Watch for these matchups against CJ McCollum or luka doncic jersey white Jose Alvarado in isolation situations and monitor what New Orleans can generate from that.

What’s New, Jax?

The Pelicans haven’t turned into the 2000 Lakers, but things generally make more sense. This includes: Jaxson Hayes is officially a positive NBA player—remember h luka doncic merch ow long it took for NBA fans to say that about, say, Austin Kevin Durant Rivers?

He’s not forced to play center, like, EVER. JV is a must-play 5-man this organization needs, and we’re all le luka doncic jersey slovenia ft drooling for certain lineups with everyone healthy.

Don’t forget, Hayes didn’t earn any floor time in 13 different games by the time it was December. Since approximately February, he’s getting 20+ minutes every night out.

He’s averaging 16.5 points per game in the last four games. In that time, he’s also collected six blocks, only three turnovers, and in two of the games, had just one foul; he’s even made 18 of 23 free throws in that time.

It’s been quite the journey for the third-year man from Texas. His draft brother Nickeil Alexander-Walker got bogged down with disappointment and poor play and now finds himself scrapping and scraping for handfuls of minutes in Utah. Jax has taken an incredible amount of criticism, much of which has stemmed from organizational whispers expressing concern over his effort to get better and overall professionalism.

He’s finally earning minutes and making an impact.

Friday, they beat the pants off the uneven and talent-dry San Antonio Spurs 124-91. They missed everything for, seemingly, the entire first half, and eventually Pop popped off and got ejected in the second quarter. Jax was there to make more 3s (He’s 6-of-10 from deep since March 11. Dennis Rodman ), grab rebounds, and outplay his Spursian counterpart luka doncic jersey poster s.

His time as a defender is so much more stable, as he seems to understand there are 5 players to keep track of! At times, you can still see him examining the floor, which means there are still periods of active thinking on the floor. There’s a fine balance between thinking the game and letting your mind get in the way of making plays.

Keep it up, Jax!

Who: New Orleans Pelicans (28-41) at Atlanta Hawks (35-35)

When: March 20, 2022, 5:00 p.m.

Where to watch: Bally Sports New Orleans, League Pass

Where to listen: ESPN 100.3 FM

For more Pelicans talk, subscribe NBA Eastern Conference Champs to The Bird Calls podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow this author on Twitter at @Trabeta.