Hawks improved on defense, but struggling to score

Zach Lowe wrote:Atlanta's transition defense as a window

The Atlanta Hawks transition defense has evaporated over the last six weeks, mirroring the malaise and drama that has overtaken the franchise. The Hawks are 27th in fast-break points allowed since Dec. 1, a stretch in which they are 7-12. Over 16% of their opponents' possessions in that span have come in transition -- the largest share in the league, per Cleaning The Glass.

The Hawks have been especially vulnerable after rebounds. To some degree, that is baked into their spread pick-and-roll structure: Trae Young drives, screen-setters roll to the rim, and shooters stand in the corners -- leaving four players below the foul line when a shot goes up.

In that alignment, everyone's first step back has to be urgent. There is no time to gawk at shots, whine to refs, or loiter in case the rebound bounces your way.

The Hawks have been sloppy with all that. There is no urgency, little attention to detail. Their defense overall has slipped, and their offense hasn't been strong enough to compensate; Atlanta is 22nd in points per possession -- stunning impotence considering their all-in play for Dejounte Murray and the centrality of Young's scoring and passing.

Something feels wrong. The trade deadline is four weeks away.

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Post #110 » by **Jamaaliver** » Fri Jan 13, 2023 7:27 pm

Well, this is...something

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Post #111 » by **Jamaaliver** » Sun Jan 15, 2023 4:01 am

It's only happened 8 times?!?

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Post #112 » by **Jamaaliver** » Thu Jan 19, 2023 4:26 am

Hawks seemed to have figured out how to effectively hide Trae on defense...

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Post #113 » by **Jamaaliver** » Thu Jan 19, 2023 1:28 pm

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Post #114 » by **Jamaaliver** » Fri Jan 20, 2023 1:35 pm

You have to squint pretty hard to find Trae on this chart...but he is there.

But lower than Dejounte.

Post #115 » by **Jamaaliver** » Sat Jan 21, 2023 3:59 am

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Geaux_Hawks · Post #116 » by **Geaux_Hawks** » Sat Jan 21, 2023 4:33 pm

Jamaaliver wrote:

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Wow! Our 3 bigs are all the league leaders. JVG mentioned the other night that Trae is so good at disguising his floater with the oop pass, and that's why it's so hard to defend both. Really speaks volumes seeing the gap between our bigs combined vs the next group of recipients.