Atlanta Hawks: Will Rebounding Hurt Them In Playoffs?
The Atlanta Hawks were not a very graceful team when rebounding the ball during the regular season. Ranking 28th in overall rebounding and dead last (30th) in offensive rebounding, grabbing 21 percent of available offensive boards.
The offensive rebounding ranking obviously doesn’t tell the whole story, as the Hawks possessed one of the league’s most efficient scoring offenses, ranking second in points per-game at 102.5 at a rate of 46.6 percent from the field as a team. In short: there really weren’t that many offensive boards to be grabbed.
This could be viewed as both a good and bad sign in regards to the team’s rebounding: on one hand, the fewer available offensive rebounds leaves less room for error statistically. On the other hand, the argument could be made that a higher percentage should be grabbed, due to lesser occurrence.
No matter how you view the Hawks’ offensive rebounding, one thing isn’t really up for debate: Atlanta’s not a very good rebounding team.
The Hawks might find the Brooklyn Nets playing them closer than most predicted throughout this series (much like game one).
The Nets are a super-sized team with several capable rebounders that dwarf the Hawks with their size. Brook Lopez and Mason Plumlee come to mind.
Apr 19, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) dunks over top of Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) during the second half in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Nets 99-92. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Are the Nets a better team than the Hawks? Absolutely not, but if rebounding is to be what keeps Brooklyn close, then Atlanta will have to work something out on the glass in later rounds.
The Hawks’ leading rebounder in the regular season was Paul Millsap, who grabbed 7.8 boards per-game. At 6’8″ Millsap is often dwarfed at the power-forward position. His energy, tenacity, and good placement on the floor are what allow him to rebound at the rate that he does. With a 6’10” counterpart on the block in Al Horford, who rebounded at a rate of 7.2 per-game in the regular season, Atlanta’s front-court isn’t exactly huge.
With less-than-impressive size, the Hawks might have to get creative to make sure that rebounding isn’t what sinks them this post-season.
One idea: give Mike Muscala more minutes. Muscala stands 6’11” and has shown promise with his rebounding when given the chance. Muscala is no slouch offensively either: he can shoot from both the mid-range and from behind the three-point line. He doesn’t possess the post-scoring ability of Horford or Millsap, but he shouldn’t be overlooked as a back-up for one of the starting big-men in place of the perimeter-oriented Mike Scott and Pero Antic.
Another possibility: coach Mike Budenholzer instructs everyone to crash the glass, with no regard for transition defense. This brings obvious problems to the table, but depending on the match-up, it could be worth it. Not every team in the league relishes at the opportunity to get out and run.
Atlanta’s second-round match-up (assuming they get past Brooklyn) will be either the Washington Wizards or the Toronto Raptors. Both of those squads have young, athletic talent that can run the fast-break with lightning-fast speed.
While Toronto isn’t a terriblly big team outside of Jonas Valanciunas, the Wizards have several legitimate glass-gobblers. Namely, Marcin Gortat.
Gortat could very easily give the Hawks plenty of problems if they don’t keep him away from the basket. While that’s easier said than done, Horford’s ability to shoot can draw him away from the rim, but how do the Hawks keep him off of the offensive glass? That’s a bit more tricky. Maybe the bigs sacrifice some positioning defensively to box Gortat out. Either way, he could be a match-up nightmare for Atlanta.
How will the Atlanta Hawks address their rebounding woes? Only time will tell, though we all hope they figure something out before a bigger opponent muscles them right out of the playoffs.
Next: Atlanta Hawks' Injury Hell
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