The NBA season has become the story of two teams that have made unlikely rises to the very top of the sport. One is the Golden State Warriors and the other is the Atlanta Hawks. While some possibly envisioned the Warriors making the rise, literally nobody saw this coming from the Hawks. They enter Friday riding 17-game winning streak, having won 31 of their last 33 games.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CBmvXyLC1k
Why have they become so good, to the point where they have a seven-game lead over the second-place team in the Eastern Conference after just 45 games?
Effective Defensive Rotations and Positioning
This is a team that you wouldn’t really expect to be that strong on defense. Jeff Teague should be undersized and out of his element when guarding. Kyle Korver is someone you think of as a shooting specialist before anything else. Backup point guard Dennis Schroeder didn’t have a glowing defensive reputation when he came to Atlanta and Kent Bazemore was no one’s idea of a huge defensive upgrade.
Yet, there are strong defenders on this team who have merged with less savvy defenders to grow within a system. Mike Scott played at the University of Virginia in college and has provided toughness as a result of coming through a program with a commitment to defense. The same is true of longtime veteran and Florida product Al Horford, a two-time NCAA champion who hasn’t missed a beat in the pros. Paul Millsap has always been a good defender. The Hawks allow just 96.2 points per game, which is tied with Miami for the fewest points allowed by any team in the NBA.
The Ability To Attack From Everywhere
The unpredictable nature of the Hawks’ offense gives them a leg up on the competition, and more instructively, it makes this team tough to cope with if you’re playing defense. Atlanta doesn’t have a 20-point-per-game scorer, but that’s more than okay because of the blended production you see on this team.
Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroeder can both break down defenders on the dribble, get to the basket, feed teammates, and hit the open shot when needed. The Hawks have a long bomber in Kyle Korver and Mike Scott to reinforce perimeter shooting. DeMarre Carroll has been a double-figure scorer for much of the season, and he gets lost on this team when it is discussed on a national level – that’s because Paul Millsap and Al Horford do even more for this team with their post offense and their work on the glass.
Kent Bazemore and Pero Antic are able to chip in with some key baskets when needed. There are no superstars but a lot of highly competent offensive players, most of which can hit the three. There’s really not a single guy who creates a black hole on offense. Everyone can do something with the ball, which is pretty rare to see across the roster. There just isn’t a DeAndre Jordan type who can only score on dunks or layups, for instance. As a result, you have a team that averages 103.4 points per game right now.
Sharing The Ball
The Hawks average 26.2 assists per game, which is the second best number in the league. Part of why no one player scores a ton of points is that everyone is willing to give up the ball to the next guy, playing for the best shot instead of thinking a specific player has to be the one with the rock in his hands. Atlanta moves the ball and forces defenses to chase. Not stagnating with a dump-down post-up game has kept the Hawks ahead of the curve.
Does this remind you of anyone? It should remind you of the Spurs, which is the franchise where coach Budenholzer comes from. The Hawks have some eerie similarities – especially with how they share the ball. There is no me-first attitude here and they are the sum of their parts. That’s why this has worked so well for them.
