The Atlanta Hawks improved their win total by 22 last season and their 60-22 record ranked second in the NBA, so it’s impossible to classify last season as a disappointment. However, the Hawks ultimately fell short against the injury-riddled Cleveland Cavaliers in a four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference Finals. That left a bad taste in the mouths of everybody that is a part of the organization as well as the fans. There’s still a lingering thought in the back of most people’s minds asking if this team was some kind of a fluke or a one-year wonder.
Things didn’t get much better in the offseason when the Hawks had to let one of their core members hit free agency as DeMarre Carroll signed with the Toronto Raptors. So what has to happen for this team to not only repeat their regular season success but go further in the playoffs? Here’s the skinny:
The Core Players To Perform
Al Horford, Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver all represented Atlanta as Eastern Conference All-Stars last season and they will need to play at the same elite level this season from start to finish – including when it counts the most in the postseason. Horford and Millsap is one of the best four-five combos in the NBA right now and the Hawks actually boosted their depth at the position with the addition of Tiago Splitter from the San Antonio Spurs.
However, both Millsap and Horford fell off in the playoffs and that can’t happen again. Teague showed off his skill set as one of the premier point guards in the league from start to finish last year but Korver’s production also tailed off down the stretch and in the playoffs. Atlanta needs him at his best in the playoffs. The strength of this team is its deep core and the Hawks will bank on them performing at a higher level in next year’s postseason.
The Bench Needs To Step Up
It isn’t easy to consistently put up excellent numbers off the bench game in and game out but while their minutes could vary throughout the year, the Atlanta bench also needs to step up in the playoffs. They ranked 19th in the NBA in terms of bench scoring and this is a unit that didn’t do a whole lot out outside of Dennis Schroder’s contributions.
Splitter will be expected to play 20-25 minutes per game as a quality rim protector and he can pitch in with a little offense as well even though he isn’t going to be relied on too much for his scoring. The Hawks are deep at the point guard spot and more will be expected out of Schroder. However, it gets dicey after that. Mike Scott is facing drug charges, Thabo Sefolosha is coming off a major injury and isn’t much of an offensive weapon and guys like Shelvin Mack and Mike Muscala are marginal talents. The team is hoping Tim Hardaway Jr. can be a contributor but wherever the offense comes from, the Hawks need more of it from the bench.
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One More Pure Scorer
With Carroll gone, the Hawks definitely need some more offense. He averaged 12.6 points per game in the regular season but was one of their main offensive weapons in the playoffs. Sefolosha will be asked to step in as the team’s starting small forward and while he can hold down that role the Hawks from a defensive perspective, the Hawks would definitely benefit from upgrading at the position. Scoring was a major problem for Atlanta throughout the playoffs as they finished ninth in that category (98.0 points per game). That’s a noticeable drop-off considering they averaged 102.5 points per game in the regular season. With the Cavaliers reloading, the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat expected to be better, it would make sense for them to try and add some depth scoring at some point during the season. They’ll once again be one of the top teams in the conference but if they are going to win the East they will need more offense from somewhere.
