I don’t even know how the Hawks beat the Heat by 24. A full third of the Hawks’ wins this season have come against this Heat team. Nobody on the Hawks even scored twenty points individually but they still creamed their opponent. I’m fully aware that the Hawks have some good invidual players (DeAndre’ Bembry not usually being included in that list), but a lot of things have to go right at the same time for them to beat a team by double-digits.
Bembry shot well from the field (7 of 11) and had his third-highest-scoring game of the season, but even without his considerable contributions, the Hawks would have won rather easily. I suppose it’s encouraging to see him be able to finish those tough layups that he has to take when he undertakes one of his manic drives to the basket. One of two from the threezone is also encouraging because he has not shot threes well at all since the first month of the season.
Now I’m just waiting for Bembry to hit the twenty-point mark. A guy with as little offensive skill as he, who is unlikely to bomb enough threes to fluke his way into that total, could possibly go his entire NBA career without hitting twenty. But scoring that amount would legitimize his three-year Hawks stint in a way that scoring nineteen does not. I’m not sure how much bigger his role can get; since he’s not going to see a big minutes uptick, he should set aside one game to just take shots until he gets twenty. What’s the worst that happens? The Hawks lose? They’re used to that and they’re also used to players jacking up shots they can’t make (see: Trae Young). I see no reason why he shouldn’t do this.