The youth definitely showed some promise tonight with Toney Douglas getting his first start and somewhat solid games from Gallinari and Chandler. This was another tough loss to take, especially with the early lead, but we can always look to the future for some hope.

Future Player of the Game:
Toney Douglas: 23 PTS, 10-19 FG, 4 REB
To coincide with his first career start, we get yet another great game from Toney Douglas. The kid clearly can score; he can hit jumpers from all over the court and showed surprising skill with the ball in the paint. He is more than just a pest on defense, frustrating opposing guards to no end. But, if he is going to be a starting point guard, he needs to take better care of the ball and try to distribute. He’s had three great games in a row, but in each has only been able to muster one assist. He also is quick to make mistakes with the ball. He has a tendency to pick up his dribble a little to quick. This was most evident in the Utah game because it cost us the game, but tonight against the Hawks it led to a couple of turnovers. He’s a rookie and these are things he will learn to control so it’s nothing to worry about. It will be interesting to see how many minutes he gets when Nate is back in the rotation because D’Antoni clearly has a lot of faith in the rook.

Danilo Gallinari: 12 PTS, 7 REB, 1 STL
Gallo seemed to have an extra pep in his step and it showed with his best rebounding night of the season. It still seems to me that when he is freshly subbed in, he shows way more energy than when he has been in for a few minutes and he is going to need to work on his fatigue. His shot was a better than last game and he was active in the lanes but he still seems to fall asleep out there sometimes. Danilo was much more comfortable trying to find his own shot tonight, drawing a few fouls but also turning over the ball going for a crossover. I think he has a bright future but he can’t create very much yet at this level and if he wants to be feared as a shooter he needs to prove he can make his own shot or beat a defender off the dribble or else he is just another Kyle Korver. When Al Horford is playing you tight at the 3pt line, you need to have a move to get by him. That way, next time he is forced to sag off and you can nail the three in his face.

Wilson Chandler 14 PTS, 3 REB, 1 BLK
This was a quiet night for Will, who seemed to score his 14 points within the flow of the offence. It was nice to see him not forcing the jumper, as he had only 8 field goal attempts and looked to get into the lane more often than usual. So far this season, he just looks a step slow. It seemed like many of his points last season came from his explosiveness and hustle and he just doesn’t seem to have that same pep this year. This game was a step in the right direction and I would hope to see a continued improvement.

Jordan Hill: 2 PTS, 2 MIN
D’Antoni was able to find Hill only two minutes of garbage time. Hopefully as he adjusts to the NBA game and soaks in practice time, Jordan will get more playing time. Big men develop at a much slower rate than guards and we must be patient with our lottery pick. Think of late bloomers like Jermaine O’Neal.