It’s no secret that the Atlanta Hawks are not at the same level as they were last season. Last season, they were on fire. The team won a franchise record 60 wins, they were first in the East, and they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since moving to Atlanta in 1968. After the success of last season, you would expect Atlanta to come back rolling, right?
Well, the Hawks are currently sitting at 6th in the East with a record of 38-29. Not what we were expecting after last season, but they did go through some changes over the offseason. They lost DeMarre Carroll to free agency, leaving a hole to fill at the small forward position and they needed a great defensive player to fill his shoes.
They also acquired new faces such as Tiago Splitter, Tim Hardaway Jr, and Lamar Patterson. The organization also has a new ownership group, with new team colors and uniforms coming in as well. With all of these changes, it may not actually be a huge surprise that the Hawks did not play to the level that we expected them for the first four months of the season. Now that we are near the end though, they may be ready to flip the script and get on a hot streak like they were on last January, and if they do, what will it take for them to be successful in the playoffs?
Kyle Korver Must Shoot Lights Out Again
During the Hawks 2014-15 campaign, Kyle Korver was the god of threes. The guy couldn’t miss. It even looked like he would be the first player in NBA history to shoot 50% from the field and from three-point range, and 90% from the free throw line for a little bit. That faded, because when the season winded down, Korver’s shooting numbers also winded down a small amount. He still ended the season shooting an incredible 49% from the field, 49% from three, and 90% from the free throw line. He was so hard for opposing teams to match up against, and no team could seem to find an answer for him. Threezus just kept hitting threes.
In the playoffs last season, the Hawks offense did not look nearly as potent as they did in the regular season, and I think that is because Korver was not able to hit his shots as much. He shot just 36% from three and 39% from the field. Because of Korver’s inability to hit as many shots during the playoffs, the Hawks offense didn’t look nearly as deadly. They did not have their big three point shooter, and opposing teams didn’t seem to worry about him as much.
If the Hawks are going to find that magic that they did last January, Korver will be a huge part of it. If Kyle Korver can find that stroke that he had last season, it will make the Hawks that much more deadly. He is currently shooting just 40% from three this season, but his percentage has been getting better as of late. If he keeps improving and is hitting threes like he was last season by the time the playoffs come, the Hawks will have a greater chance of being successful and possibly surprising some people.
Kent Bazemore Needs To Play DeMarre Carroll’s Old Role Perfectly
DeMarre Carroll was outstanding for the Hawks last season. He played stellar defense, locking down everyone he covered, created shots for himself off the ball and hit them at a high rate, and he played the “junkyard dog” role for the Hawks perfectly. His motor was extremely high, and he was always ready to pounce on a loose ball.
Since he left last summer, Atlanta has not had a player come in and take over his role yet. Kent Bazemore has been the Hawks small forward, but he has not yet played as well as Carroll did. It isn’t his fault, Carroll was really good last year. I think that Bazemore has just as high of a motor as Carroll does, he has tons and tons of athleticism, and he has the potential to be a great player in the league. If the Hawks are going to find that groove that they had during the regular season last year, Bazemore will need to be the Hawks lock down defender, he will need get himself open off the ball, and he will need to be the “junkyard dog.” Bazemore has the potential to do it, and he will be a key factor in the Hawks postseason success.
Jeff Teague Must Step Up
Jeff Teague was phenomenal last year. He led the Hawks offense nightly, and he did a great job of it. He did a great job defending opposing point guards, and he did a great job getting everybody involved on offense. This season, he seems to have taken a step back, averaging less PPG, APG, and SPG. He is also shooting at a worse percentage, but he is shooting significantly better from three. The problem has been his shots from inside of the arc. He doesn’t look to drive as much, and his shooting percentage has suffered because of it.
Teague is great when he is able to get to the rim and make layups around bigger defenders. He has not done that this season like he did last season, and it has been a problem for the Hawks offense and for his shooting percentages. For a while, Teague was involved in trade talks because Dennis Schroeder was looking like a better option as the Hawks starting point guard. If the Hawks are going to play at the same level as last season, Jeff Teague needs to find the mojo he had last season, he needs to get the ball moving more on offense, and he needs to get to the paint and score around the rim again.
Al Horford and Paul Millsap Must Continue Strong Play
Al Horford and Paul Millsap have both seen better seasons this year than last year statistically. Millsap is averaging one more rebound per game, and one more point per game than last season, and he continues to be the Hawks leader on the court. Horford is averaging the same amount of points and rebounds, but he has been able to shoot a higher percentage from the field, and he has developed a very reliable three point shot, shooting 35% from deep. Horford is also blocking opponents shots at a career-high rate.
Horford and Millsap were the Hawks best players last season and selections to the NBA All-Star Game this season proves they are what keeps Atlanta going. If they are going to turn around and play like last January again, these two must continue to hoop at a high level. The Hawks pride and joy is their talented big men, and they will win or lose based on the play of these two All-Stars.
Atlanta Must Stay Healthy
Last season, the Hawks were plagued by injury at the worst possible time. Thabo Sefolosha had his leg broken in New York by the police after a night club incident. This took the Hawks best defender out for all of the playoffs last season. He would have been taken on the task of guarding LeBron James in the Conference Finals, and would have helped DeMarre to take on other tough matchups in other games. If the Hawks had Thabo on the roster, the Conference Finals likely could have gone a different way.
In game 1 of the Conference Finals, the Hawks next best defender, DeMarre Carroll, went down with a knee injury. While MRI’s did show the injury was not serious, Carroll did not look completely healthy the rest of the series. He had the tough task of guarding LeBron, and he looked slower than normal with a sprained knee the rest of the series. With Carroll healthy, he could have guarded LeBron better, making the series closer.
After Carroll, the Hawks eventually ended up losing sharpshooter Kyle Korver during game 2 of the Conference Finals. He was injured during the third quarter when he dove for a ball, and he sprained his ankle. When Korver left, the Hawks had no other real player to put at shooting guard. They ultimately played Bazemore, but he was more of a small forward than a shooting guard. This injury took away some of the space the Hawks had on the floor. If they had their sharpshooter, the series could have had a different outcome.
The Hawks have been relatively healthy this season, but the injury bug can strike at any time. In order for Atlanta to make a playoff run, they will need to remain healthy for the entirety of it, and hopefully they do not have injured players like they did last year.
The Hawks have had a shaky year, but they are finding success at the end of the season now. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games, and something seems to be working for them. They are in every major media outlet’s top 10 power rankings this week, including 7th on Def Pen’s rankings. They have risen to 2nd in defensive efficiency, behind just the Spurs, and they are one of two teams to allow less than 100 points per 100 possessions. The Hawks are playing very well as of late, and they may be very close to finding the magic that they had last season in January. If they do, the rest of the league needs to watch out because these Hawks will be able to make a playoff run.
