Atlanta Hawks Year of 2016 in Review: Individual Performances

1. Paul Millsap 04/24/2016 Game 4 @ Boston Celtics

Paul Millsap finishes this year in review of top individual performances by running the table. If you hadn’t noticed, he has been number one in all three categories. I like Millsap, but didn’t make any effort to propel his name towards the top of these rankings on my own. If there was ever any question, he silences the noise by delivering what may go down as one of the best playoff games in NBA history for a losing player.

The Hawks were attempting to take a commanding 3-1 series lead on a Boston team that had proven to be a formidable opponent. It became evident very early on that Millsap had the hot hand, as he made four of the Hawks first six field goals, including a deep three-pointer. That did not go unnoticed from his teammates. It became obvious that they were feeding Millsap at every available opportunity.

On a play that was assisted by Dennis Schroder, Millsap made a three-pointer from 26 feet out with 29 seconds remaining in the first half, that would give the Hawks a 48-46 lead heading into the break. He finished a marvelous first half in which he scored 26 points. The 6-foot-8 forward exerted his dominance in a way that you would only see from all-time great scorers.

Everyone in the building knew that he was getting the ball, and he still made tough shots through double-teams, and often times fouls. Boston tried unsuccessfully to slow his production down by putting different defenders on him. It was an impressive feat for the Celtics to actually remain in the game, since number 4 was such a dominant force.

Millsap scored one point for every minute that he was on the floor. He played over 45 minutes and went 19-for-31 from the field, 3-for-6 from deep, and 4-for-6 on free throws. The rest of his stat line wasn’t any less impressive; he had 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and four blocks to go with his 45 points. Unfortunately for the Hawks, they allowed big games from both Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Smart (28 and 20 points respectively), and lost the game in overtime, 104-95.

So there it is, the Hawks got some outstanding games out of a number of different players in 2016. Not to put a damper on any of their exploits, but what appears to be a glaring absence from the top performances is a great three-point marksman. While Jeff Teague was hot from outside in his game, hitting 5-for-6 of his threes, he is no longer with the Hawks.

Millsap and Horford went blow for blow during the majority of the remainder of these rankings. It’s true that Horford is gone as well, and he was actually one of the better snipers that the team had. But in researching many numbers, box scores and game logs for this review, three-point shooting proved to be a weakness even last season.

The Hawks have seemingly sacrificed more of their outside shooting for an increased amount of rebounding and rim protection. If the defense had been able to improve on what they did last season, it wouldn’t be as worrisome.

As we officially put 2016 in the rear-view mirror, let’s also wave good bye to the 2015-2016 version of the Atlanta Hawks. Here are the top 10 plays from that team as a proper send off. Let’s hope the 2016-2017 Hawks can go on an even better run.

Next: An Early Look At 2017 Free Agency