Dyson Daniels reveals the Wembley problem that led to Atlanta’s loss

ATLANTA, Ga. – If no one knows by now, then they’re not watching: Victor Vembanyama is the problem. Atlanta The Hawks just suffered a tough loss against the Charlotte Hornets and had to return in less than 24 hours to face one of the most unique players in the NBA. Even coming off the bench, Wembanyama was able to influence everything the Hawks did in just 21 minutes of playing time.

The color shots had to be bigger. The defense had to be more locked down. Even when he was smothered and covered, it still wasn’t enough. By the time the Hawks looked at the score, they were down 20 points. That finish the gameThe Hawks lost 126-98.

“He’s the best shot blocker in the league” Dyson Daniels he said after the game. “When you’re that tall and long, you can affect shots in different ways. When you go in (the paint), you want to have your eyes, and I’ve got to start making some shots so he can respect me more. We didn’t really have a good shooting night as a team, so when you play against guys like that, it’s kind of about going in there and finding the shooters.”

The Hawks shot 40% from the field and 25% from the three-point line, and they weren’t going to win the game that way. As dominant as Wembanyama was, the whole team put pressure on the Hawks from start to finish. They scored 60 points, and whether it was looking easy for Vembanja or their backs going downhill, it all worked for them.

“We weren’t able to keep them at bay,” head coach Quin Snyder said. “That was really the biggest thing. Defensively, we have some things we’ve been committed to, and we know what we need to do to compete against a team that plays at a very high level.”

The Hawks don’t have enough power against the Spurs

The Hawks had 11 turnovers in the first half, and the Spurs managed to take advantage of almost every one of them. Add that to the missed shots, and Spurs making their shots, and it was a recipe for disaster.

“I thought we tried to thread the needle too much tonight,” Daniels said. “Sometimes it’s better to make an easy pass than a hard one. We turned it over a lot and it hurt us a lot.”

“We were a step slow. We gave up too much movement. When they have Wemby down, he’s a big focus for us. They played fast, we turned the ball over a lot, so they came out in transition. For us, it’s about getting good shots, getting the right shots, and from there, when we shoot, it’s easier to defend, but we didn’t make it tonight.”

The good news for the Hawks is that their next four games are at home, where they haven’t played much so far this season.

“We just have to be ready,” Daniels said. “We’ve had a little bit of slip-ups the last couple of games, but we’ll be ready for Sunday. The guys will be in high spirits. We don’t like to lose these games. Chicago is a good team, too, so it’s going to be tough, but we know what we have to do and how we have to play.”