With Al Horford only playing in only a couple of Atlantas Summer League games, fellow rookie Acie Law stole the show for the Hawks. Law was second on the team in scoring, behind Shelden Williams, and more than held his own against the other NBA-caliber lead guards in Salt Lake City. Displaying great court vision, Law ran the point as well as any point guard we saw this summer not named Jose Juan Barea.
One of the least recognizable, but most impressive qualities that Law displayed was an innate ability to drive to the rim and find open teammates without hurting the flow of the offense. Every time he touched the ball he was looking to make a play, and consistently made good decisions when defenses were collapsing around him. Though he still plays a very cerebral game, Law showed some uncharacteristic creativity in finding him teammates, dropping some nice no-look passes and making a lot of flashy passes that you wouldnt normally expect from him. Law may not wow anyone with his speed, but he did a good job of controlling tempo and possesses a deceptive first step.
When it came to creating his own offense, Law proved to be a highly capable mid-range shooter, even with a hand in his face. Law effectively uses his size to get shots off over other point guards, and though he doesnt always get a lot of separation, he compensates with great touch. While his field goal percentage wasnt stellar, it was very good considering how often he was forced to hoist up shots with the shot clock winding down. Law may not get to the rim as well as most point guards in the League, but he has a very nice midrange game, which will should be a major boost to a Hawks rosters that has more than a few slashers. The one aspect of the game the Law will need to work on immediate is long-range shooting. He attempted only 5 3-pointers in the Summer League, but decidedly avoided taking shots from as close as 20 feet. As time goes on, Law should be able to translate his jumper to the outside without a lot of trouble.
Law wont blow anyone away with his production this year, but he is going to be a very nice asset for the Hawks. He has a veteran-like swagger in his game that should rub off on his teammates over time. Though he is limited in some ways by his athleticism, he does a good job of compensating on both ends of the floor. His defense is still a bit sloppy at times, but he doesnt give up anything easy in the flow of the game. Law should make an immediate impact for the Hawks off the bench, and should make some nice contributions throughout his first season.
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