As the 2016-17 season has finally kicked off. Dwight Howard has been a force, the Hawks have won 3 of 4, and Phillips Arena is in line for a makeover. How can the basketball club build on this momentum?
Just four games into the season, the Atlanta Hawks are in a good spot at 3-1. That could easily be 4-0 if not for Louis Williams playing the best ball he’s ever mustered. However. that irritating loss does give fans a good template for what the Hawks need to do to soar, and what could send them into a downward spiral.
It’s all about the new star in town, Dwight Howard. The 6’11,” 265-pound has come home and made it his own. Outside of the Philadelphia game that was decided early on, the big man is averaging 20 points and 13.6 rebounds per contest. While that sample size is the definition of early, its promising. But what brings out the real optimism is just how this team has looked.
The defense is even more of a buzzsaw than it was last year. This shouldn’t stun anyone with the presence of lock down wings Thabo Sefolosha and Kent Bazemore, the 2nd team All-Defensive Paul Millsap, and of course Howard. The real shock is the physical but balanced offense that has complemented it.
Last year’s squad settled for jump shots too often and seemed too shy to impose their will. The 2016-17 Hawks block any attacks the opposition gives them and throws nasty haymakers right back. That’s what Coach Budenholzer has to get out of these guys game in and game out if Atlanta wants to reach its intriguing ceiling. The loss to the Lakers showed exactly what deviating from that plan can lead to….structural failure.
The Blueprint to Victory
Feed your stars. Give the ball to Paul Millsap and Dwight Howard and good basketball will follow. Newly minted starter Denis Schroder has shown flashes for the motivation behind his promotion, but he isn’t quite ready yet. While it was in a loss, getting the ball to the new free agent acquisition resulted in 31 points on an absurd 75 percent clip. On the flip side, Millsap only had 10 points in the loss. While that is telling, further evidence of the danger when avoiding the frontcourt was seen when the bench got extended minutes.
This was due to a hot third quarter run that got extended into the fourth by Coach Bud. What was missed was that most of that hot streak was due to a wild flurry from Tim Hardaway Jr., not the bench unit as a whole. Finishing with 25 points, he’s making a case to be a starter anyway. The Lakers also went tit-for-tat with “THJ” for most of that period, scoring 39 team points. The second unit’s defense just isn’t all that good outside of Thabo. The Hawks must integrate with their new image of an explosive frontcourt backed by the league’s (for now) best defense.
Demolishing the Season
The bench is deep and talented, that can’t be forgotten. However, these guys are generally bench players for a reason. Players like Mike Muscala and Kris Humphries had individual talents like scoring and aggressive rebounding, respectively. Curbing the much more well-rounded starting five in the short term is good for rest, but relying on a non-Warriors bench isn’t a practical way to win basketball games. The starters are versatile scorers and a defensive juggernaut, something the players on the pine cannot claim.
Another self-inflicting obstacle the Hawks must avoid is the reliance on jump shots. While the spacing and long range daggers can be deadly when on point, there are stretches when the shots aren’t willing to fall.
Reflecting back to an offense that struggled to create easy looks, this incarnation of the Atlanta Hawks must take advantage of its more efficient front court options. Post ups, pick and rolls, pick and slips, and kick outs with Howard and Millsap should be the backbone of this offense. However, with so many capable shooters, the temptation to rain down jumpers could just end up raining on any parade plans.
The Foundation is Set
Since the season is still young and Atlanta seems to be taking advantage of the early schedule, now is the time to realize what works and what doesn’t for this squad. Thundering dunks, slick kick outs, and precise pick and rolls are the offensive pillars while the usual lockdown shot-stopping serve as the security system.
Use the All-Stars as bricks and the quality play off the bench as mortar. As Phillips Arena makes its own renovations, the Hawks need to build a tower of success with their new identity.
Next: Hawks utilizing Howard effectively
All stats obtained from Basketball Reference