ATLANTA – The Atlanta Hawks suffered a disappointing 116-106 season-opening loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night, raising concerns about the integration of their revamped roster. despite high expectations for betterment, the Hawks struggled to find offensive rythm and defensive consistency in front of their home crowd.
The defeat underscores the challenges facing the Hawks as they attempt to build a contender around Trae young and their new acquisitions, including Kristaps Porzingis and Dyson Daniels. With a difficult early schedule looming-nine of their first 14 games on the road-Atlanta faces immediate pressure to gel and translate potential into wins in a competitive Eastern conference.
Jalen Johnson provided a shining spot in his return from shoulder surgery, leading the Hawks with 22 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds. Kristaps Porzingis added 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks in his Hawks debut. However,the team’s offensive struggles were highlighted by Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s 2-for-15 shooting performance,finishing with 10 points,and Dyson Daniels’ foul trouble,limiting him to 4 points.
Toronto set a franchise record for points on opening night, shooting 56.8% from the field, led by RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes, who combined for 47 points.
“Rotation’s got to be better,” johnson said after the game. “It’s not too much that we got to overthink. We just got to be better than we were tonight. Simple as that.”
hawks coach Quin Snyder acknowledged the need for improvement, notably on the defensive end. “There are a lot of things the Hawks need to clean up, especially getting back on defense.”
Trae Young emphasized the need for time to build chemistry with the new players.”I got to figure out how we need to jell together…Were they like the ball on offence and things like that. So, we need time to jell. But obviously we want results right away. I mean this is a what have you done for me lately type of league, too.”
The Hawks will continue their early season road trip Friday at Orlando, followed by a home game against Oklahoma City on Saturday.
