How Corey Kispert’s ‘really good’ summer led to big preseason performance vs. Grizzlies

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ATLANTA – The Atlanta Hawks were able to see what it felt like to play against another team after a full week of training camp, and it probably didn’t start the way they wanted. The Memphis Grizzlies were in town, and in the second quarter of the game, they scored 49 points on the Hawks, with most of their main rotation still playing.

It wasn’t until the third quarter that things started to get better for the Hawks, but none of the starters played in the second half. That gave other players a time to shine, and it was Corey Kispert who emerged as the bright spot. Kispert shot 4-for-4 from the field with 10 points in the third, and finished with a game-high 19 points.

When asked about what led to his strong performance, Kispert gave credit to the work he put in over the offseason.

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“I had a really good summer,” Kispert said. “A lot of work on clearing my head, reestablishing my habits, getting back to what works, and just kind of doubling and tripling down on that. 

“I came in here ready to go. We’ve played a lot of live stuff in camp. The games that we’ve had so far in camp before that translated for me tonight. I felt like I was hitting the ground running and I was running downhill, and it felt really good. I’m hoping that kind of carries over the rest of the preseason and into the year.”

There’s no surprise that training camp helped Kispert, especially when looking at how competitive the roster is. It’s different than anything Kispert has been a part of in his career, but it’s only going to help the Hawks as the season progresses.

“It was super high level, and I haven’t really been a part of a training camp like that since I’ve been in the league,” Kispert said. “We were hitting the ground running and tonight was a big learning experience based on the week we had. We have a lot of guys on our team that bring a really high level of effort and professionalism, and that’s going to carry us especially in January and February when the games start to blend together.”

Kispert was traded to the Hawks in the middle of last season, and on top of trying to figure out other things off the court, he also had to figure out how to gel with a team that already had some sort of chemistry. Now with a full training camp under his belt, he feels more comfortable coming into the season.

“You’re a new guy in the system, you’re trying to fit in with the guys, and everything feels chaotic,” Kispert said. “So yes, being a shooter, you want comfort, you want familiarity, you want to feel good. The moment the season ended last year, I was looking forward to a whole summer, a whole camp, a whole season with this team to kind of feel like I was really a part of it, rather than a new face trying to get acquainted halfway through.

“It’s been really great; I feel much more comfortable, feel more like myself, and looking forward to hitting the ground running.”