The Atlanta Hawks are underwhelming this season, but they have company with several NBA contenders falling short of expectations early in the schedule. At 14-15, they find themselves being the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference.
It’s another yawning start, similar to last season. This time around, though, there are NBA Finals aspirations after the team advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. While their trudging play to date isn’t exactly auspicious, there are plenty of reasons to believe that the Hawks will get back on track as the season progresses.
Here’s why the Atlanta Hawks will bounce back in the second half of the 2021-22 NBA season.
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Atlanta Hawks have dull Eastern Conference in their favor
As previously alluded to, there are several contenders off to monotonous starts. Many of those teams reside in the East.
Look across the conference, there are teams not perming up to expectations. The Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat have been respectable but little more. Sitting at .500, the Philadelphia 76ers are feeling the impact of Ben Simmons’ absence. The Boston Celtics are at .500, too.
Meanwhile, the Washington Wizards are cooling off after an attention-grabbing start. As for the New York Knicks, they’re crumbling after a promising 2020-21 season. Rick Carlisle patrolling the sidelines hasn’t produced a better result for the Indiana Pacers.
The Hawks, just 4.5 games back of the two-seeded Chicago Bulls, have this time because no one is running away from them. It speaks to how much parity in performance and proximity there is in the East.
An offensive juggernaut
The Hawks have too many capable and/or proven scorers to miss the playoffs.
Trae Young is a star and one of the best scorers in the NBA. John Collins is a versatile scorer who hits the boards at a high level. Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter are steady, shooting scorers. Clint Capela is money in the paint and one of the best all-around centers in the sport. Danilo Gallinari is a well-rounded scorer.
Cam Reddish is instant offense off the bench with a smooth, shooting stroke. When healthy, De’Andre Hunter can score in a multitude of ways. Lou Williams can get a bucket anytime, anywhere. Onyeka Okongwu, who made his season debut on Dec. 17, is an athletic big man.
- Atlanta Hawks’ 2021-22 offensive stats: first in three-point shooting percentage (38.0 percent), fourth in points per game (111.5) and sixth in field goal percentage (46.4 percent)
Statistically speaking, this group is even better on the offensive end than it was last season. The bulk of teams in this league aren’t trying to stop each other: they’re trying to outscore each other. Atlanta is built to outscore its opponents on a nightly basis.
They have to play better complementary basketball. The Hawks playing better on the defensive end allows them to get opponents operating at their pace while making themselves more dangerous in the halfcourt in that they have a plethora of isolation and perimeter scoring options.
Atlanta Hawks have upside to reach much higher ceiling
Atlanta had upside last season and it still exists today. While the Hawks’ record plays a part, their roster makeup is even more important.
Roughly half of head coach Nate McMillan’s rotation hasn’t reached its ceiling. Young and Huerter are only in their fourth NBA seasons. Reddish and Hunter are only in their third seasons. Okongwu just began his second season. Furthermore, the veterans on this team aren’t even senior citizens, so to speak. Outside of Williams, no one in the Hawks’ rotation is older than 33 and most haven’t reached 30.
This rotation has only been together for a year. While there’s a level of familiarity, they can still collectively improve; they’ll get more continuity with each other as the year progresses. Maybe that’s when/how they improve their halfcourt defense?
The strides made last season weren’t a mere great run. It was the result of the organization sticking with an extremely talented young core while adding veteran scorers to complement their foundation. That entire team remains in place. Slow starts aren’t uncommon for contenders. There’s plenty of season to be played, and too much ammunition for this team to not get on a run.
The Hawks can compete with anyone in the East in a seven-game series. It’s difficult to slow down an offense that doesn’t need its star player to go off every night. While Young essentially puts up 30 points per game, the Hawks have the offensive depth to make up for an uncharacteristic night from the point guard. This team will right the ship.