Jock Landale describes a “fun” experience starting for Atlanta

It’s been a busy 48 hours for Jack Landale. He was traded from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Utah Jazz as part of the Jaren Jackson Jr. deal. The next day, while on a plane about to take off for Utah, he learns that he will likely be traded again.

Then he has to get off the plane and wait for word on where he’s going. He finds out that it is Atlanta Hawksand they offered to send him a plane to take him to the team on the same day of their game, ironically against the Jazz. Landale decided against getting to the team as soon as possible and packed his truck to drive five and a half hours to Atlanta.

To make it even more special for him, he broke into the starting line-up in his first game and had perhaps the best debut anyone could have asked for.

Landale finished the game with 26 points and 11 rebounds and hit a big 3-pointer to give the Hawks the lead late in the game. The Hawks were able to get a win, and it was Landale learning on the fly how the game went.

“Anytime you have a team that puts their trust in you on short notice, that says a lot about them,” Landale said. “It was a game that was probably a little unstructured for us, and you start adding new pieces over the next couple of weeks. You’re just adjusting on the fly, so they’re calling plays that I’ve never heard of in my life. And they’re just telling me where to go on the fly. They gave me a playbook that I hadn’t looked at yet.

“It’s just going to be playing basketball, which is fun, reacting and playing with a bunch of intelligent hoopers. It’s a free place to just let the game come to you and figure it out as you go. I had a lot of fun in the first game. I’d like it to be like this every night.”

Landale did everything the Hawks wanted from their center game. He started the game with three offensive rebounds and made his presence felt in the paint. He knocked down five of his eight 3-pointers. He played for others, which led to his five assists.

It may have taken a long time to get to that point, but it seems he was ready for whatever was thrown at him. Going forward, it would be no surprise that Landale would be a key player in the frontcourt Onyeka Okongwu when he returns.