With the Olympics officially ending earlier this week, we are left without any basketball until pre-season rolls around. Team USA has once again won gold, which was the expected outcome by many fans. However, we are not focusing on Team USA but rather focusing on our fellow Hawks who competed for their respective countries. 

Bogdan Bogdanović – Serbia

Bogdanović played excellent for Serbia, ending on the podium with a bronze medal. He averaged 18.3 points (8th highest throughout the whole Olympics) 4 rebounds and 3.8 assists. Furthermore, Bogdanović has been uber-efficient, shooting 47.6% from the field (48.9% on 2-pointers & 46.2% on 3-pointers). His play was solid throughout the whole tournament, with notable games including 30 points against South Sudan in the group stage, and almost toppling the stacked USA team in the semi-final game with 20 points and timely 3-pointers.

As always, Bogie has excelled in FIBA ball. His efficiency was the most eye-popping stat, but playing with one of the best players in the world, Nikola Jokić contributes to that. Hopefully, Bogdanović’s excellent play will carry this momentum into the upcoming season, where he will see an increase in minutes at the 1-2 spots for the Hawks.

Dyson Daniels – Australia

While the Boomers had an early exit with a loss against Serbia in the quarterfinals, Daniels showed amazing promise as a player. While his stats are not exactly eye-popping (averaging 8.5 points, 5 rebounds, 3.5 assists) Daniels passes the eye test with flying colors. He is the ideal 3-and-D wing; averaging 38.5% on 3.3 attempts per game, 2.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks. His length and quickness disrupted the opponent’s offense while keeping the opposing defense modest by being willing and able to knock down threes and floaters.

With Daniels being a new acquisition for the Hawks, he will see a lot of playing time along with Trae, being that POA defender that the Hawks sorely needed. While his offensive aggressiveness is much to be desired, he is improving by being willing to take open shots that the defense will give him. Playing alongside Trae will yield a lot of open shots, so we can only wait until the season starts to see how Daniels improves.

With the Olympics coming to an end and no basketball for a while, we continue to see glimpses of what Bogdanović and Daniels will bring to the Hawks.