Former Pitt Panther Lamar Patterson made his debut earlier this year with the Atlanta Hawks. A solid opener with a +10 +/- helped give him more opportunities as he played in the next six contests. Weak performances in limited action (0-7 from the field for three points in 50 minutes over a five-game stretch), however, earned him a stint in the NBA's D-League.
Opportunity knocked one again for Patterson when Atlanta forward Kent Bazemore went down with an ankle sprain. That put Thabo Sefalosha into the starting lineup and the Hawks recalled Patterson to the team.