Where the Peaches Grow | Atlanta Hawks

[six7]

trying something new here...

[six7]

Where the Peaches Grow
Atlanta Hawks Basketball
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The Mailbag
Should We Be Concerned About Rebounds? Maybe, Maybe Not

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The Feb 21, 2026 Edition -- Welp, the first two games back from the All-Star break haven't been anything to write home about. Two of the ugliest games all season where the offense forgot to show up. Hey, at least one of them was a win (a double-OT, grind-it-out win over Philly), though.

Both of these games failed to see any type of solid shooting, and a ton of turnovers (46?! ..what? ...like I was watching second graders in a rec game), and we also saw the Hawks give up some monster rebounding numbers to likes of Andre Drummond, Bam Adebayo, and Kel'el Ware.

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Gotta be a little concerned the amount you were outhustled on the boards the last two games. Drummond 2k cheese explains one, but damn - three players with double-digit rebounds is tough.

My Take: Yes... I am. Kinda. I don't think the rebounds are the main issue though. I think it's a result of poor shooting. We just had two games where the Hawks shot 40% or less from the field. That's a lot of misses, which means a lot of rebounds. Our opponents also shot poorly, which means even more rebounds and especially in the case of Drummond and Bam, these dudes are also great on the offensive boards. So, not too concerned about the rebounding because I'm way more concerned about the poor shooting.


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In the chat, you said Kuminga had 16 at half, and then he finished with 16? That's not a good sign. ...21 turnovers seem like a ton when Miami only had 7. Bad passing or dribbling?

My Take: Kuminga only ended up playing 15 minutes. He's coming off an injury and played in back-to-back games, so he was on a minutes restriction. He didn't play much in the second half, but I agree with you that it would have been nice to see him end up with a few more buckets. He played just 12 minutes the first game (vs Philly) for reference. He should be full go for our next game, which is against Brooklyn. Let's see what he does then!

Turnovers were indeed an issue. Can I say, both? ...Truthfully it's just something we have to be better about. We just start playing sloppy when things don't go our way and we have to get better in that regard.


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Jalen Johnson couldn’t get going at all for you

My Take: Put out the BOLO. We need him to show up if we want a chance to win. Simple as that.

[Agent]

Nice idea. I dig this.

[six7]

This is probably to be expected considering none of the Hawks are overly tall and are mostly all perimeter bound and want to play small ball.

yea good point. we really only have okongwu and landale at the center spot with a plethora of undersized forwards to fill in at the 4 spot. cant do much when they run big sets, such as ware and bam together. we got bodied. plus im still learning this team so it may take a little to get my bearings anyway

[six7]

Nice idea. I dig this.

thanks big dawg. a format to let me dive deeper when needed and to make an update out of it lmao

[Sonny]

Love the mailbag mate. Great way to reply to questions and comments while getting others involved in the chise.

[six7]

Love the mailbag mate. Great way to reply to questions and comments while getting others involved in the chise.

thanks man, appreciate it! Glad u enjoyed the update

[six7]

Where the Peaches Grow
Atlanta Hawks Basketball
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Hawks Report: Feb 22 - Mar 1

March 1, 2026 -- Atlanta looked much stronger this week, winning three of four game with an average of 114.0 points score in their three wins before falling back to their old ways in a loss against Portland to cap off the week.

It was encouraging to see for Hawks fans, however, the reality is that the three wins came over two of the worst teams in the league against Brooklyn and twice over Washington. All three home games.

Jalen Johnson has continued his stellar play, while Jonathan Kuminga has flashed his brilliance in some key moments. It's hard to say which Kuminga will stay, but for now, he's definitely been a difference maker ...in a good way.

The playoff race is starting to really heat up, no pun intended, as the final four seeds (7th-10th), which are the play-in seeds, are all held by Southeast division teams.

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Pictured: Jalen Johnson soars above the rim for the fast break slam against the Nets.

Atlanta 113, Brooklyn 110 -- The Hawks jumped out to a quick first quarter lead at home against the Nets, 42-28, at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Brooklyn continued to fight, though, winning the last three quarters, which was enough to tie the game late in the fourth. It was Nickeil Alexander-Walker (14 points) and CJ McCollum (10 points) who would lead a 5-0 run with under a minute to go before the Nets tied the game up at 110. However, it was none other than Jonathan Kuminga who would give the Hawks the 112-110 lead before Jalen Johnson's (18 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast, 5 stl) lone free throw iced the game to give Atlanta the win.

Jonathan Kuminga: 22 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 9-14 FG, 2-4 3PT, 2-2 FT
Ziaire Williams: 17 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 7-10 FG, 1-2 3PT, 2-4 FT

Atlanta 114, Washington 92 -- Atlanta reeled off another win, making it two straight at home in a commanding victory over the Wizards. Jalen Johnson continued his All-Star level play, leading the Hawks in points while chipping in everywhere else on the stat sheet, while Jonathan Kuminga stayed hot with 18 points and two rebounds on 8-of-11 shooting. Zaccharie Risacher and CJ McCollum also chipped in with a respectable 16 and 15 points.

Jalen Johnson: 26 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast, 2 blk, 9-16 FG, 1-6 3PT, 7-10 FT
Sharife Cooper: 18 pts, 1 reb, 1 blk, 6-12 FG, 1-4 3PT, 5-5 FT



Pictured: CJ McCollum slices through the Washington defense for the layup scoop.

Atlanta 115, Washington 106 -- In a grudge match from the previous game, the Hawks beat a healthier Wizards team once again, at home, though in a much closer matchup. Atlanta was propelled by a 42-point third quarter, but also gave up 38 points to Washington in this divisional clash. Jalen Johnson once again led the way with 23 points, but Nickeil Alexander-Walker helped out with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 dimes. CJ McCollum (14 points), Zaccharie Risacher (12 points), and Jonathan Kuminga (10 points) also gave valiant efforts, as Atlanta is now riding a three-game win streak and just one game below .500

Jalen Johnson: 23 pts, 9 reb, 6 ast, 2 blk, 9-15 FG, 0-1 3PT, 5-8 FT
Carlton Carrington: 20 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast, 8-16 FG, 3-5 3PT, 1-2 FT

Portland 114, Atlanta 91 -- On the final game of a five-game home stand, the Hawks completely mailed it in, shooting a dismal 38% from the field and connecting on just 29% of their 31 three-point attempts in a one-sided loss to the Portland Trail Blazers who annihilated Atlanta in points in the paint, 44 to 24. The Hawks had just three players score in double figures, while both teams let the reserves get extra playing time to end the game. The Hawks travel to Milwaukee after two rest days.

Jerami Grant: 18 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast, 1 stl, 8-13 FG, 2-3 3PT
Jalen Johnson: 28 pts, 9 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 9-16 FG, 3-6 3PT, 7-11 FT

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NBA News & Notes
F Mouhamed Gueye: Signs contract extension with Hawks, 3yr/$18.89M
F Jordan Walsh: Signs contract extension with Celtics, 2yr/$16.39M
F Bol Bol: Signs with Spurs, 1yr/$2.30M
F Norman Powell: Signs contract extension with Heat, 3yr/$25.55M

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Southeast Division Standings
1. Miami Heat (31-30, 7th)
2. Orlando Magic (30-29, 8th)
3. Charlotte Hornets (30-31, 9th)
4. Atlanta Hawks (30-32, 10th)
5. Washington Wizards (15-44, 15th)

[RoyalTy]

Everything still within reach this season. What's the feeling looking toward the next one, it's hard to know what teams like Atlanta, Chicago, and Miami wants to make of their rosters