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The Atlanta Hawks Half-Time Report

Who would’ve thought after that horrible stretch of 1 win in 11 games that the Hawks would reach this stage of the season with the exact same record as they did at this point last season and on pace to win 48 games?

It’s been quite the turnaround, helped obviously by a pretty easy schedule but also the return of defense. The Hawks are tied with the Pelicans for the best defensive rating over the last 10 games at 99.7.

The rebounding, offensive rebounding and second chance points numbers are drastically up from last season and that is mostly thanks to Dwight Howard, who is averaging 13.3 rebounds and a league leading 4.9 offensive rebounds per game. Dwight has added a calming presence on the rebounding front which has been a nice change of pace compared to Atlanta teams of past.

Turnovers were a serious problem earlier in the season but the Hawks have improved of late, averaging 13.4 turnovers per game in their last 10 games, tied for 11th best in the league.

To the surprise of no one, Paul Millsap leads the team in scoring (at 17.8 PPG) and should be an All-Star for a fourth consecutive season. Dennis Schröder has been on a great run of late: a 19.4 PPG on 50% shooting from the field and 37% from behind the arc and six assists per game stretch over his last 25 games has bumped his scoring numbers to a career high. Schröder began the season quite poorly but his decision making has improved greatly as this season has gone on.


MVP

Paul Millsap.

No surprises here, Millsap is the man that makes this team tick. He’s the leader on both ends of floor, ranks 11th in the league in defensive win shares, he facilitates the offense, he’s versatile… he’s everything for this team. With Millsap in the lineup, the Hawks are 24-14 and 0-3 when he was sidelined with injury, including a 36 point home loss against the Pistons and a 44 point loss agains the Raptors. His impact is undeniable and there is no doubt that he is not only the best player on this team but the most important player on this team.

Jamaaliver wrote:

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The Atlanta Hawks Half-Time Report

Who would’ve thought after that horrible stretch of 1 win in 11 games that the Hawks would reach this stage of the season with the exact same record as they did at this point last season and on pace to win 48 games?

It’s been quite the turnaround, helped obviously by a pretty easy schedule but also the return of defense. The Hawks are tied with the Pelicans for the best defensive rating over the last 10 games at 99.7.

The rebounding, offensive rebounding and second chance points numbers are drastically up from last season and that is mostly thanks to Dwight Howard, who is averaging 13.3 rebounds and a league leading 4.9 offensive rebounds per game. Dwight has added a calming presence on the rebounding front which has been a nice change of pace compared to Atlanta teams of past.

Turnovers were a serious problem earlier in the season but the Hawks have improved of late, averaging 13.4 turnovers per game in their last 10 games, tied for 11th best in the league.

To the surprise of no one, Paul Millsap leads the team in scoring (at 17.8 PPG) and should be an All-Star for a fourth consecutive season. Dennis Schröder has been on a great run of late: a 19.4 PPG on 50% shooting from the field and 37% from behind the arc and six assists per game stretch over his last 25 games has bumped his scoring numbers to a career high. Schröder began the season quite poorly but his decision making has improved greatly as this season has gone on.


MVP

Paul Millsap.

No surprises here, Millsap is the man that makes this team tick. He’s the leader on both ends of floor, ranks 11th in the league in defensive win shares, he facilitates the offense, he’s versatile… he’s everything for this team. With Millsap in the lineup, the Hawks are 24-14 and 0-3 when he was sidelined with injury, including a 36 point home loss against the Pistons and a 44 point loss agains the Raptors. His impact is undeniable and there is no doubt that he is not only the best player on this team but the most important player on this team.

Here


Thoughts on the first half? Predictions for the second half?
Disappointed? Pleasantly surprised? Exactly what you guys expected?

Hawks at midseason: The good and the bad

The Hawks started the season 9-2. They proceeded to go 1-10 and sink below .500 and cause some degree of panic inside and outside the organization. The Hawks are 14-6 since the skid.

MVP: Not a question. Millsap has been the Hawks’ best player. He is first on the team in scoring and second in rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. He has scored in double-figures 36 times, including 15 20-point and two 30-point games. Dennis Schroder gets an honorable mention.

Breakout player: A lot was put on the shoulders of Schroder as the starting point guard. There have been really good games and really bad games, but generally he has been solid. He leads the team in scoring. He has six point-assist double-doubles, 13 20-point and three 30-point games. He’s hit some clutch shots, most recently the game-winner against the Knicks on Monday. Mike Muscala gets an honorable mention.

What’s gone right: The defense has been good. The Hawks rank fifth in the NBA with a defensive efficiency rating of 102.8. The defense slipped during the losing streak but has risen back top five in the league during the last 20 games.

Sekou Smith wrote:Hawks Midseason Report Card

FRONTCOURT: B-
Dwight Howard has been better than expected, averaging a double-double, and Paul Millsap is having yet another All-Star season. Kent Bazemore has struggled in the aftermath of his big free agent summer.


BACKCOURT: C+
The Dennis Schroder experiment is off to an impressive, and at times spectacular, start. Thabo Sefolosha took over the starting job at shooting guard before Kyle Korver was traded to Cleveland.


DEFENSE: A
This remains the backbone of the Mike Budenholzer program. When the Hawks were very good on defense early in the season they got off to a 9-2 start. When they slipped, they crumbled. But they’ve regained their footing of late, and finished the first half of the season on a 9-1 run.


COACHING: B
Budenholzer has not had the luxury of leaning on the veteran lineup he has in the past to carry this team through rough patches. Adjusting to a group that doesn’t move the ball or shoot it as well as they have in the past has also been an issue. All that said, he still has his team atop the division.


OVERALL GRADE: B-
The ebb and flow of this season couldn’t be more stark for the Hawks, whose hot start was interrupted by a complete power outage just before Thanksgiving that lasted well into December. Panic set in and the Hawks dove in on the process of evaluating the roster and deciding who would be dealt by the Feb. 23 trade deadline. But only Korver hit the door before things turned around during a seven-game win streak that kicked off after Christmas.

...make no mistake, this is clearly not the same roster Budenholzer had to work with previously. Different ingredients and much different results.

Atlanta Hawks: B+

Off. Rating: 24 | Def. Rating: 5 | Net: 13


While they have staved off preseason fears that they might fall apart in the wake of [major off-season] departures, their return to the middle of the East’s playoff picture has answered few questions.

• Dennis Schroder has proven he can handle starter’s duties, but will he ever blossom into a top performer at his position?
• What happened to Kent Bazemore’s shooting stroke?
• Why should Millsap trust the end of his prime to a team that’s constantly turning over its roster?
• Wouldn’t the Hawks be much better off selling off Millsap like they traded Kyle Korver, with an eye towards building around their 25-and-under roster pieces?

Atlanta’s wheel-spinning is bound to continue given Millsap’s expensive summer decision and a young core that has yet to distinguish itself or even really take shape.

Mark Bradley wrote:The Hawks at the All-Star break – not nearly bad, not quite good

The Atlanta Hawks hit the All-Star break — which comes nowhere near the halfway mark, we note — at 32-24. If they play at this .571 pace over the final 26 games, they’ll finish 47-35. That’d be a game worse than last season...

They’re fifth in the Eastern Conference but only a game behind Toronto for fourth. Those who expected a major decline in the first year post-Horford and post-Teague have been proven wrong.

Last season’s Hawks had the third-best point differential (3.6) in the East...These Hawks have been outscored. Their differential this season (-0.5) is the eighth-best in the East.

There’s a growing feeling that Millsap wants to re-up here for a not-exorbitant price, which would be nice given that he remains their best player. He also just turned 32. If he re-signs for three years and he’s still their best player in 2020, this won’t be much of a team.

(NOTE: last summer, there was a similar belief in-house that Al Horford wanted to stay for a not-exorbitant price.)

The season’s two biggest experiments — Dwight Howard and Dennis Schroder — both been OK. Tim Hardaway Jr. has been a revelation.

...it’s hard to see Atlanta moving into the East’s top four.

For better or worse, the Hawks are probably where they’ll finish. A 4-5 Round 1 series is always a coin flip. A Round 2 series versus LeBron is not.

For as much as the Hawks have changed — they haven’t changed all that much from last season. They’re not nearly bad but not quite good.

Keeping these Hawks together at deadline makes little sense

Here is the optimistic viewpoint of the Hawks at the All-Star break: Despite letting Al Horford go, they are on pace to finish with about the same regular-season record as a year ago.

That’s the best-case scenario...while the Hawks are 32-24, they have a negative point differential, they’ve been a tick above a .500 team (23-22) since opening 9-2 and — perhaps most important — there seems little to point to and think, “There’s a building block for the future.” Based on youth, talent and contract, the Hawks have one player to potentially build around: point guard Dennis Schroder.

The Hawks surely will make the playoffs, but they’re unlikely to make a dent when they get there. They rank 20th in offense and often not good enough on defense to make up for that (10th overall, but allowing the fourth-most 3-pointers in the league at 10.7 per game).

Budenholzer long ago proved himself as a head coach. He is not proven as a front-office executive. Credit him for acquiring Tim Hardaway Jr. But otherwise, his “plus” column in transactions is thin.

Millsap is the Hawks’ best player. But he’s 32 years old, and he is going to opt out of his contract after the season, which means he’ll be fielding offers...The Hawks are running the risk of losing a four-time All-Star for nothing (just like Horford).

Keeping this core intact at the deadline seems to make little sense.