Atlanta Hawks · 5 notes
Lu Dort will come off the Hawks' bench after starting his whole career. He said he's had good conversations with Quin Snyder about it and is ready for any stint: "If it's playing 10, 12 minutes straight, playing 5 minutes, whatever it is, you know, I'll be ready to go."
Quin Snyder has sat down individually with Lu Dort, Corey Kispert and Asa Newell about their Hawks roles, and said Kispert "had a terrific preseason." Asked if Newell needs reps, he praised his defense but didn't commit: "The problem is the game is 48 minutes."
Quin Snyder says the Hawks' starting five and rotation are still unsettled after adding Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins: "it's the course of the 48 minutes that's really important." On the Oct. 16 preseason finale, he named no one: "health can trump all that."
Lu Dort said a knee contusion kept him "out for a little bit" before his first game with Atlanta. Quin Snyder has held one-on-one film sessions with him to teach the Hawks' terminology and texts him plays to study. Dort said learning it will take time.
Lu Dort would pick Olympic gold over an NBA title. Toronto's RJ Barrett didn't pick: "When it's your country, it's a little bit of a different pride." A Toronto title would be different too, he said. From practice, on an injured teammate: "we'll see once he gets back."