ATLANTA (AP) – The Atlanta Hawks have confirmed that Kent Bazemore will be in the starting lineup for Tuesday night’s season opener against the Detroit Pistons. The 6-foot-5 swingman started throughout the preseason at the small forward spot that belonged to DeMarre Carroll the last two years. When Carroll signed a $60 million deal with Toronto, Bazemore seized his chance to join a lineup that includes four All-Stars – Al Horford, Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver. Bazemore knows he’s got some big shoes to fill. Carroll was the emotional leader of the Hawks, a stifling defensive player who made impressive strides offensively. But his contributions to the team went beyond what showed up on the stat sheet. As coach Mike Budenholzer says, Carroll was a person “everybody enjoyed being around.”
