The eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks will face the seventh-seed Orlando Magic in the Play-In Tournament as they attempt to make it back to the NBA Playoffs.
When they do take on the Magic, an upstart team led by Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, they’ll have to hope they have better luck than they did in the regular season. In the four games the teams played, the Hawks have won twice, but only one win came with Banchero and Wagner taking the floor. With that being said, before they take on their worthy opponent in the Play-In, Atlanta will have won their last matchup against Orlando.
Hawks’ Keaton Wallace Triple-Doubles, Saves Best For Last
In the final game of the 2024-25 NBA regular season, the Hawks defeated the Magic handily; 117-105. As previously mentioned, neither Banchero nor Wagner were on the floor. However, Atlanta managed to secure a victory over Orlando without their top two players —Trae Young and Dyson Daniels.
The key?
Keaton Wallace, who notched his first career triple-double in the win. In a team-high 37.5 minutes, the rookie tallied 15 points, 15 assists, and 11 rebounds. He also added five steals, more than half of the team’s total. Wallace subsequently became the Hawks’ first player to ever reach those numbers in a game (per Hawks PR).
Keaton Wallace finished today’s win with 15 points, 15 assists, 11 rebounds and 5 steals. He’s the first player in franchise history to finish a game with 15+ points, 15+ assists, 10+ rebounds and 5+ steals.
— Hawks PR (@HawksPR) April 13, 2025
He’s also the first two-way player to record a triple-double in franchise history.
Not bad for a player that went undrafted in 2022. A player that went from not hearing his name called in the 2022 NBA Draft, to twice being signed and cut by the Los Angeles Clippers, to landing a training camp deal with his current team in 2023.
What’s Next For Wallace?
Every step of the way, Wallace had to prove he belonged. Now, there’s no doubt he’s an NBA-level player. The question is how far Wallace will take it.
Could he get his two-way contract upgraded to a standard deal? Could he go as far as his brother, Cason Wallace, who has started 43 games alongside Oklahoma City Thunder MVP hopeful Shai Gilgeous-Alexander this season?
Considering the way Daniels has played this season, the latter scenario seems unlikely. At full health, Young and Onyeka Okongwu will bookend a starting lineup that includes Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, and Jalen Johnson. Nevertheless, due to how well Wallace has played this season, he could sign a standard deal sooner rather than later.
If asked to simply be a suffocating defender, he can do that with no problem. In fact, that’s his best asset, and quite a useful one with so many skilled guards in the league. However, he’s consistently shown that he has playmaking upside, both as a facilitator and scorer. He’s not lightning quick and his 3-point stroke needs work.
Nevertheless, he knows how to consistently break down the defense and make winning plays. Indeed, when Wallace has played 30+ minutes this season, he’s averaging 13.8 points, 8.4 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. There have been five such games, and the Hawks went 4-1 in them.
© Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
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