Atlanta Hawks
A season ago, the Atlanta Hawks finished the regular season as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. In the playoffs, they shocked everyone by going all the way to the Conference Finals, where they gave the eventual champion, Milwaukee Bucks, everything they could handle.
After their success in the playoffs, media members and fans alike had big expectations for the Hawks coming into this season. Some even believed that Trae Young and company could compete for a top-three seed in the East.
Fast forward to the present day — almost halfway through the season — and the Hawks are six games below .500, with a record of 17-23, good for 12th in the East. They are far from the team that came two games shy of reaching an NBA Finals less than a calendar year ago.
On the bright side for Atlanta fans, the Hawks were in a similar position last year (14-20) before they flipped the switch, finishing with a record of 41-31 and a trip to the Conference Finals. However, just because the Hawks did it last year, doesn’t mean they can do it again. Their issues run deep.
Over the past several weeks, the Hawks have dealt with their fair share of health and safety-related issues. In fact, head coach Nate McMillan is still out of health and safety protocols. But every team has dealt with its fair share of health and safety-related issues. With the amount of talent they have, it’s frankly shocking how poor Atlanta has played this season.
Since the start of December, the Hawks are 6-13. Their struggles can be attributed to their poor defensive effort.
Over their past 14 games, the Hawks have given up 130-plus points seven times, including a short-handed Blazers team without Damian Lillard or CJ McCollum. Atlanta owns the fourth-worst defensive rating (113.1) in the league.
Sarah K. Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution points out that the Hawks perimeter and transition defense, in particular, have given them fits. Clint Capela and De’Andre Hunter, two very important pieces to the Hawks’ turnaround last season, have not been the same defensive monsters they were a season ago. Granted, Hunter has only played in 11 games so far this season (right wrist injury recovery). Still, one player should not account for an entire team’s defense.
It jumps off the screen when watching Atlanta that there seems to be a disconnect when it comes to giving a consistent defensive effort at a high level. In order for the Hawks to just make the playoffs, they need to start playing with more heart on defense. Their offense is clearly not the issue as they own the third-highest offensive rating in the NBA (112.6).
As mentioned before, the bright side for Atlanta fans is that the Hawks were in a similar position last year and were able to turn their season around. With their talent and depth, it’s possible they’ll be able to do it again. But, in order for that to happen, Atlanta needs to start playing with more effort and urgency on defense and that needs to happen as soon as possible because they can’t afford any more mishaps.