Hawks offense has stalled

[MaceCase]

I don't see Jr. as a permanent starter with Sap, Dennis and Dwight. I see him better suited to a super 6th man role where he can come in to bomb and create to his heart's content rather than standing on the perimeter waiting for a pass while the other guys get going. At best he should be a poor man's Manu who hasn't started barely a 3rd of his career games. Jr. has more skill and talent than Bazemore but I think a lot of what's hurt Baze is him attempting (and failing) to be a secondary scorer on the team rather than a catch and shoot guy.

[Jamaaliver]

A few takeaways from the MIami victory, the first after 7-straight losses, show what needs to happen for the offense to flow properly:

The Hawks had better ball movement. A good sign that the Hawks are moving the ball is the number of inside shots that Howard gets – including lobs. If the Hawks force teams to scramble defensively, they cannot commit several players to Howard. The center is then able to roll to the basket. Howard had three alley-oop dunks and five tip-ins.

“We feel like if we have better ball movement and they get it after there is movement, they have a better chance of scoring instead of just force feeding it in, them against the world,” Kyle Korver said.


The Hawks dominated the game inside. Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said the inside game was not an emphasis of the Hawks but a byproduct of the flow of the game and the team’s ball movement.

The guards...made some outside shots and drove into the [lane]. That opened up the offense for Howard and Millsap to roll to the basket.

Here


Shooting and ball movement were the key last night to getting easier inside looks for Dwight (and Millsap). The lack of ball movement in the previous 9 games can largely be blamed on Dennis. (Though he's played more in control the last week.)

The shooting is also key for opening up the middle of the floor. We need to identify pure shooters to play at SF and SG moving forward. I have to think Bazemore will eventually get back to a decent stroke. But long-term, can KB and Taurean Prince be depended upon to properly space the floor?

Are there any draftees or Free Agents available who could?

[ATL Boy]

A few takeaways from the MIami victory, the first after 7-straight losses, show what needs to happen for the offense to flow properly:

The Hawks had better ball movement. A good sign that the Hawks are moving the ball is the number of inside shots that Howard gets – including lobs. If the Hawks force teams to scramble defensively, they cannot commit several players to Howard. The center is then able to roll to the basket. Howard had three alley-oop dunks and five tip-ins.

“We feel like if we have better ball movement and they get it after there is movement, they have a better chance of scoring instead of just force feeding it in, them against the world,” Kyle Korver said.


The Hawks dominated the game inside. Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said the inside game was not an emphasis of the Hawks but a byproduct of the flow of the game and the team’s ball movement.

The guards...made some outside shots and drove into the [lane]. That opened up the offense for Howard and Millsap to roll to the basket.

Here


Shooting and ball movement were the key last night to getting easier inside looks for Dwight (and Millsap). The lack of ball movement in the previous 9 games can largely be blamed on Dennis. (Though he's played more in control the last week.)

The shooting is also key for opening up the middle of the floor. We need to identify pure shooters to play at SF and SG moving forward. I have to think Bazemore will eventually get back to a decent stroke. But long-term, can KB and Taurean Prince be depended upon to properly space the floor?

Are there any draftees or Free Agents available who could?

If we're really going for the win now approach, with Dwight here and maybe Millsap getting re-signed, not to mention Bazemore in his prime, then Gordan Hayward and Rudy Gay should be the guys whose agents we call right at midnight of July 1st.

[Jamaaliver]

If we're really going for the win now approach, with Dwight here and maybe Millsap getting re-signed, not to mention Bazemore in his prime, then Gordan Hayward and Rudy Gay should be the guys whose agents we call right at midnight of July 1st.

Gordon Hayward seems like the perfect fit for this team...even if we don't re-sign Millsap.

He'd be a future building block, but also an All-Star caliber producer from day one. (He also is at least mildly familiar with our offense after playing so many years under Quin Snyder.)

Question: can Hayward play SG moving fwd if we feature Taurean at SF?

[ATL Boy]

If we're really going for the win now approach, with Dwight here and maybe Millsap getting re-signed, not to mention Bazemore in his prime, then Gordan Hayward and Rudy Gay should be the guys whose agents we call right at midnight of July 1st.

Gordon Hayward seems like the perfect fit for this team...even if we don't re-sign Millsap.

He'd be a future building block, but also an All-Star caliber producer from day one. (He also is at least mildly familiar with our offense after playing so many years under Quin Snyder.)

Question: can Hayward play SG moving fwd if we feature Taurean at SF?

I see no reason why Gordan couldn't play SG... At least until he gets older, when his foot speed escapes him.

[Jamaaliver]

When Hawks move ball, Howard and Millsap control inside


The secret to the Hawks success is ball movement. When the team plays with the pass – a mantra that has been repeatedly hammered home to the players – it opens up the offense both on the perimeter and inside.

The Hawks had 58 points in the paint in a much-needed win over the Heat on Wednesday. While it would appear that the big men controlled the inside, their success was as much a function of something bigger than individual dominance. And it’s something that has been largely missing during the Hawks’ recent funk.


Consider:

* The Hawks averaged 46.0 points in the paint in their first 11 games. They went 9-2.

* The Hawks averaged 38.9 points in the paint in their next 11 games. They went 1-10.

“We feel like if we have better ball movement and (Howard and Millsap) get it after there is movement, they have a better chance of scoring instead of just force feeding it in and then it’s them against the world,” Kyle Korver said. “I keep repeating myself but if we have better ball movement then we get them in the second and third pick-and-roll, then we get them in the half roll. Then there are options and Paul can make plays, one of our best play makers. That makes it hard to guard. It’s hard to guard the weak side which is where (perimeter players) are ready. It’s just better basketball.”


While the Hawks struggled, they failed to move the ball on a consistent basis. It lead to far too many isolation plays. In addition, with their inability to make outside shots, the opposition was free to send two and three bodies at Howard. Those lob chances disappeared.

It’s just not the multiple crisp passing that opens up the inside for the Hawks. They must set strong screens in the pick-and-roll game. This falls on the big men to set and then be the recipients of the final passes.

Here

[Jamaaliver]

Bleacher Report assigns the blame for our offensive struggles on two positions in particular:

Atlanta's biggest problem in the scoring department might be the center spot. After a strong start, Dwight Howard has posted single-digit scoring efforts three times in Atlanta's last eight games—all losses.

The rebounding has been excellent, and you can't laud the Hawks' stellar defense without pointing first to Howard's impact. But for a scoring-starved club, Howard has to be a more consistent contributor offensively. Since he's so dependent on setups and lobs, maybe we should be pegging point guard Dennis Schroder as the culprit.

Here

[jayu70]

Bleacher Report assigns the blame for the offensive struggles on two positions in particular:

Atlanta's biggest problem in the scoring department might be the center spot. After a strong start, Dwight Howard has posted single-digit scoring efforts three times in Atlanta's last eight games—all losses.

The rebounding has been excellent, and you can't laud the Hawks' stellar defense without pointing first to Howard's impact. But for a scoring-starved club, Howard has to be a more consistent contributor offensively. Since he's so dependent on setups and lobs, maybe we should be pegging point guard Dennis Schroder as the culprit.

Here

Dwight is the easiest to blame (and I'm not saying he didn't have a hand in the losing because he did, they ALL did), however in 3 of those 8 games Korver had 3 points. In 3 of 8 games Kent had games of 0,1 and 3 points. Millsap missed 3 of those 8 games.

[Jamaaliver]

From longtime AJC Sports columnist Mark Bradley:

The great Hawks offense? It’s gone with the wind


In less than two calendar years, Pace & Space has been shredded. The Hawks still defend well enough. They’ve actually gotten much better at rebounding. (The Dwight Effect.) But they’ve gotten really bad at the thing that made them really good.

We note that the Hawks are different from two seasons ago. DeMarre Carroll is long gone...Teague was traded to Indiana...Al Horford was allowed to leave for Boston. At 35, Kyle Korver no longer starts. Some if not all of this was inevitable. Still, the collapse of a once-mighty offense has been stunning.


In 2014-15, the Hawks ranked 6th in offensive efficiency. After 25 games, these Hawks rank 26th.

In 2014-15, the Hawks ranked 2nd in 3-point field goal percentage. After 25 games, these Hawks rank [29th].

Here

[afectar]

Baze's shot selection is mind bobbling, it's really starting to become Josh Smithish. Hawks need shooters at this point desperately, we cannot have Tabo and Baze taking clutch shots.

[Jamaaliver]

Profiling the Hawks’ Offensive Struggles

So far this year, the offense has struggled. This, coupled with a subpar defensive showing over the past few weeks, gives a pretty clear explanation as to why Atlanta currently sits at 12-13 after a 9-2 start. There are several reasons why the team has struggled to score points all season, but the simplest reason is that the Hawks have taken a step back in several different areas:

...the Atlanta Hawks rank 25th in offensive rating (according to Basketball-Reference), scoring 102.7 points per 100 possessions. This number is a drop-off from where Atlanta finished last year (a rating of 105.1, 21st in the league).

New starting PG Dennis Schröder has struggled at times this season, but has started to play better recently. New Center Dwight Howard is playing fewer minutes but is averaging more field goals made and attempted than during his last season in Houston, and his field goal percentage (.623) has risen marginally as well...

The performance of the other three starters — Paul Millsap, Kyle Korver, and Kent Bazemore — is slightly more troubling. While Bazemore’s struggles have been well-documented, Millsap and Korver have been playing below their career levels as well.


...the Hawks’ offensive struggles are a conglomeration of different factors, the result of a struggling, young point guard and other starters playing (to varying extents) below their career averages...Bazemore’s shooting has been particularly damaging recently.

The future picture for the Hawks’ offense is unclear. Schröder and Bazemore should start to play better, and Atlanta’s offense has always been a team-oriented exercise. [I]mprovements by one player could open up more opportunities for others.

Here

[Jamaaliver]

Read on Twitter

[afectar]

I think it's time to start booing Baze*like Josh Smith* when he take's a stupid early in the shot clock shot. Out of all the starters he's really hurting us the most IMO. His dribble pullup game isn't good, but yet he just keeps trying it and most times we don't have a big man under the basket ready to rebound his miss.

[jayu70]

I think it's time to start booing Baze*like Josh Smith* when he take's a stupid early in the shot clock shot. Out of all the starters he's really hurting us the most IMO. His dribble pullup game isn't good, but yet he just keeps trying it and most times we don't have a big man under the basket ready to rebound his miss.

Is it a coincidence that they are both left handed

[Jamaaliver]

THE OFFENSE IS SHOWING signs of life:

The Hawks have won three straight and eight of their last 12.

During this stretch, the Hawks are pumping in 107.2 points per 100 possessions—noticeably more flattering than the 99.0 they were tallying beforehand.

Dennis Schroder continues to raise his offensive stock by getting into the lane and limiting miscues. [Against the Spurs] he shot just 7-of-17 from the floor but dished out 10 assists and provided a general boon with his jittery drives. Atlanta's offense has been significantly better with him on the court during this 12-game mini-surge.


...and yet red flags abound.

The Hawks' trek back toward relevance has been anything but convincing. They have a negative net rating (minus-0.5) while winning eight of 12 and are hovering around the bottom 10 in defensive efficiency during this period.

Here

[afectar]

Anyone notice a pattern? Hawks offense isn't horrible when Bazemore is out the game

[Jamaaliver]

Anyone notice a pattern? Hawks offense isn't horrible when Bazemore is out the game

LOL

It ain't a coincidence.



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[jayu70]

Baze on fire tonight, lol.

[Jamaaliver]

Recent development with our vet big men:

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

This reminds me of the two-man game Horford and Josh Smith used to run under Larry Drew...to similar effect.

[ATL Boy]

Recent development with our vet big men:

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

This reminds me of the two-man game Horford and Josh Smith used to run under Larry Drew...to similar effect.

IIRC over 40% of our set halfcourt plays we ran under Drew was the Smith/Horford high/low. Our coaches before Budenholzer weren't the best in the world when it came to using the whiteboard and marker.


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