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Jamaaliver wrote:

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Atlanta Hawks: How Should They Close Games?

Injuries are dictating many of the Atlanta Hawks' lineup decisions through the first part of the season. Clint Capela has missed time. Danilo Gallinari and Rajon Rondo have barely played. Kris Dunn and Onyeka Okongwu have yet to make their debuts. Atlanta has relied upon Brandon Goodwin, Solomon Hill and even Nathan Knight more than anyone could have envisioned.

Depth is allowing the Hawks to navigate their injury bugs without imploding. They have plenty of capable bodies to get them through, and their offense, despite some recent struggles, still ranks inside the top seven of points scored per possession.

Crunch time is an altogether different beast. Even with a limited number of personnel available, Atlanta is facing difficult decisions regularly down the stretch of tight tilts and the fourth quarter in general. Those choices will only get harder as the roster inches closer to full strength.

Do they close with Clint Capela, for his defense? What does that mean for Gallinari and John Collins? Will they both play? Just one of them? How does the late-game wing rotation shake out? Who from the quartet of Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kevin Huerter, De'Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish closes? Should Collins play the 5, with Capela on the bench, to make room for three of them? Is it possible Gallo plays some 3, leaving room for only one of them?

This is an interesting, borderline good, problem. But it's still a problem. The Hawks are shooting 19 percent from three (4-of-21) and a minus-19 through 21 minutes of clutch play. Their entire fourth-quarter splits aren't any better. Small sample sizes are drenched in caveats, but as of now, Trae Young is probably the only one who is guaranteed a spot on the floor to close games.

Jamaaliver wrote:Due to all of these injuries, Hawks applying for a hardship exception. Anyone know what the benefits/drawbacks are?

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Atlanta Hawks: Simmering Strife?



The Atlanta Hawks had a lot going for them.

They infused the roster with veteran talent over the offseason, adding Danilo Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Rajon Rondo. Clint Capela, last year's big addition via trade, is healthy. Trae Young is an offense unto himself, and De'Andre Hunter appears to have made a leap.

Given all that fresh talent and potential and the attendant legitimacy of the team's playoff aspirations, the Hawks really don't need *this*.

This, to be specific, is the apparent disconnect between Young and John Collins.

According to The Athletic's Sam Amick and Chris Kirschner, Collins was critical of Young in a team film session, airing grievances about the point guard's operation of the offense.

"There was no back-and-forth between the two," Amick and Kirschner reported, "but the pointed criticism caught the attention of the room. And Young, sources say, made it clear to others later that he strongly disagreed with Collins' assessment."

Maybe this is Collins angling for more touches in a walk year (restricted free agent). Or maybe other Hawks share his criticisms of Young's style, which, without casting blame, can be ball-dominant. The apparent fallout, which included Young playing with a lack of aggression and energy in Atlanta's next game (Kobe Bryant in 2010, anyone?), could have been construed as a defiant "are you sure this is what you want?" message.

The Hawks have a real shot to do damage this year, but not if their failure to get on the same page cuts the locker room in half and weakens their product on the floor.

Galloisdaman wrote:2 quick points.

1. The team is playing without all their big FA so its hard to judge them as a team yet.

2. If the smalls can not guard its hard to judge the bigs. Once the smalls give up easy penetration its very hard on any teams interior.

The Hawks again stunk in the fourth quarter, where they have been a spitting mess the entire season. Through Saturday, the Hawks are scoring just 23.7 points per fourth quarter, which ranks last, as does their paltry 95.3 offensive rating in final frames. They are making 35 percent of their fourth-quarter shots, which ranks last, and 26.1 percent of their 3-pointers, which ranks second to last. All told, the Hawks are sporting a league-worst minus-4.2 fourth-quarter point differential and a league-worst minus-16.4 fourth-quarter net rating.

A major part of this problem has been the dismal play of Young, who has been bumbling his way through the last two weeks. In a loss to the Utah Jazz on Friday, Young scored four points on 1-of-11 shooting. A week before that he had seven points on 2 of 9 from the field against the Hornets. For the season, Young is shooting under 40 percent from the field and just 26.5 percent from 3-point range. On Saturday against Portland he went 1 of 9 from deep, and the last miss was one of the worst shots you might ever see, even by modern let-it-fly standards.

It speaks to a larger issue going on with Young, who has completely lost his way. His aforementioned shot selection, which was improving, has regressed.

Early-Season Report Card Grades for Every NBA Team

Atlanta Hawks: C-



Trae Young hasn't found his stroke from anywhere but the foul line, and all the Atlanta Hawks' veteran offseason additions have missed significant time because of injury. Throw in the simmering discontent surrounding Young's ball-dominant style, and it's something of a miracle Atlanta owns a positive point differential.

Atlanta has been lucky on defense; it's allowing ample looks at the rim and from deep, but opponents aren't hitting those high-value shots at league-average rates. When that normalizes, the Hawks will see their defensive efficiency, surprisingly respectable to date, head in the wrong direction.

De'Andre Hunter has grown in many of the right ways. After a forgettable rookie year, the 6'8" wing looks more comfortable from deep and has been better attacking the basket. He's getting to the free-throw line more often and has slashed his turnover rate substantially. Those are both welcome signs.

If the Hawks' injured and absent additions (we haven't even mentioned rookie Onyeka Okongwu, who's played just one game) return to the rotation to offset the impending defensive downturn, the playoffs will remain a realistic goal.

It's been a little bumpy so far, but Atlanta is still in good position after the first month.

tbhawksfan1 wrote:.500 with the INJURIES and youth is nothing to sneeze at. This team gets healthy and their swagger on and things will change very quickly.

That above C- is a joke. With the injuries and youth and their current record. I say B+ easy.

Had a bit of a maturity prob recently and seem to have over-come it. Very good for maturity.

I predict the Hawks get healthy soon and start moving up the seeding