Atlanta Hawks
With the departure of Jeff Teague and Al Horford, the Atlanta Hawks are going to look like a different team in the upcoming season. Dennis Schroder is going to be running the point, and Dwight Howard is going to be starting at the 5.
Now I know with a lot of key roster moves its probably going to take time for the team to gel, but there are still reasons to be optimistic for next season.
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Last year, Kyle Korver was playing his way into form for much of the year, because of offseason ankle and elbow surgery. With the two injuries, Korver wasn’t able to get up shots for much of the summer (something that is key, especially for shooters,) so he was forced to try finding a rhythm through the season.
This offseason, Korver has been able to play basketball, making it likely that he has a comeback season, after an unusual 2015-16.
But ultimately, the team’s success is going to come down to one of the best players on the roster, Dwight Howard. If Mike Budenholzer can find a way to get him to play to his strengths, it will go a long ways making the upcoming season a success.
On the Houston Rockets, 30.5 percent of Dwight Howard’s offense came off post ups, and he only scored 0.82 points per possession. That’s not ideal, especially when considering he scored 1.38 points per possession as a cutter, and 1.10 points per possession as the screener on pick and rolls.
Yet, for some reason, Dwight insists on playing through the post. He isn’t a bad option to dump the ball down low too, but that’s not his strength as a player. He needs to stick to what get’s him easy baskets, and then he can do some of the other flashy things offensively.
And who knows, maybe he even shows off a new repertoire with his jump shot (something he has been working on extensively throughout the offseason).
Whatever the case may be, one thing’s for sure, the Atlanta Hawks are going to be a team to lookout for next season. They have the talent to challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers, but continuity and the play of Dwight Howard will show if they’re up to the task.
Next: Indiana Pacers