21-year old SG/PG Jeff Teague is finding playing time hard to come by so far this season for the Atlanta Hawks and that won’t likely change any time soon with Mike Bibby, Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford gobbling up all the guard minutes. Teague has played in 8 games (0 starts) so far this season for the Hawks and he is averaging 10.9 minutes, 3.4 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. With him not getting regular minutes this season Teague’s shooting stroke is a tad off as he is only hitting 33.3% from the floor so far this season. Unless Bibby, Johnson or Crawford suffers an injury it’s just hard to see Teague getting much playing time as a rookie for the Hawks this season.

The Hawks outscored the Celtics 25-16 in the 4th quarter last night and they outrebounded them 47-29 which showed that they wanted this game more than the Celtics did and they got it. Joe Johnson led the way for the Hawks last night with 24 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Jamaal Crawford had another solid game off the bench with 18 points and 2 assists. Josh Smith had a solid all around game last night for the Hawks with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocked shots. The Hawks are now 7-2 on the year.

The Hawks shot 54.3% from the floor last night and that was a huge reason for the win over the Knicks in New York. Al Horford led the way for the Hawks last night with 25 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists. Josh Smith was also outstanding in this game finishing with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. Mike Bibby (19 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists) and Joe Johnson (19 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) also pitched in with big games for the Hawks last night. The Hawks are now 6-2 on the year.

I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical when the Hawks acquired Jamal Crawford from the Warriors over the summer because I wasn’t sure how he would handle coming off the bench. He has proved me wrong so far this season as he has been outstanding. Crawford has played in 7 games (0 starts) for the Hawks this season and he is averaging 29.9 minutes, 18.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He is looking like he will be a solid candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year Award at the end of the year if he keeps playing at this level. Crawford also gives the Hawks great insurance at both point guard and shooting guard. If anything were to happen to Mike Bibby or Joe Johnson, Crawford definately could step into the starting lineup and the Hawks wouldn’t lose much.

The Hawks destroyed the Nuggets last night in Atlanta as they shot 51.7% from the floor and they outrebounded the Hawks 44-36 which helps explain the ease of the victory. Jamal Crawford was outstanding off the bench as he scored 25 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, dished out 4 assists and he had 2 steals last night. Josh Smith was incredible last night for the Hawks with 22 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 blocked shots. Joe Johnson pitched in with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists last night. The Hawks are now 5-2 on the season.

The Hawks fell behind 61-48 in the first half last night and it was too much to overcome. Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford led the way for the Hawks last night with 13 points and 3 rebounds apiece. Josh Smith finished up with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocked shots last night in 24 mintues off the bench. The Hawks are now 4-2 on the season.

The Atlanta Hawks shot 54.1% last night from the floor and they outscored the Kings 30-18 in the 4th quarter to seal this win. Joe Johnson led the way last night for the Hawks with 26 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Jamal Crawford was electric again off the bench for the Hawks with 26 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists in 34 minutes. Josh Smith pitched in with 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 blocked shots. The Hawks are now 4-1 on the season.

The Hawks got a nice road win last night and a big reason for it was that they outrebounded the Blazers 46-36. Jamal Crawford led the way for the Hawks last night with 27 points, 2 rebounds and 7 assists in 34 minutes off the bench. Joe Johnson had another solid game for the Hawks with 19 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Josh Smith filled up the boxscore as usual with 12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots. Zaza Pachulia was solid off the bench for the Hawks in this game with 12 points, 3 rebounds and 2 blocked shots in only 14 minutes on the court. The Hawks are now 3-1 on the season with this win.

The Atlanta Hawks are off to a 2-1 start and Josh Smith is a big reason why they have won the first two out of three games to open the season.  Smith has been filling up the stat sheet.  The 6’9″ forward is averaging 15 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 2.33 steals, 1.67 blocks, while shooting 58% from the field.  Smith also became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 900 career blocks when he had two blocks in the Hawks win over Washington.  Hawks fans have got to love the way Smith has played early in this season.

The Atlanta Hawks have been very pleased with the start that Al Horford has gotten off to this season. Horford has started three games this season for the Hawks and he is averaging 34.7 minutes, 13.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.7 blocked shots per game. So much for him being a “undersized” center as he has been dominating in the paint this season. The Hawks really need Horford to be a dominating force in the paint because he is by far the toughest guy on the team that is filled with offensive minded players.