Three takeaways from the Atlanta Hawks first three games
By Ross Alacqua
The Atlanta Hawks have lost two out of three to start the season. It’s too early to dissect every aspect of the team but here are three quick takeaways from the early season action.
Dennis Schröder will take all the shots
First, let’s wish Dennis a speedy recovery. He left Sunday’s game against the Nets late in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. He didn’t seem to think it was too serious and hopefully only misses a couple games.
Second, his shooting numbers should not be a surprise at all. Dennis is clearly the Hawks best player right now and is being asked to carry the team offensively for long stretches of games. As such, he leads the team in scoring and shots attempted through the first three games (70 total points on 69 shots).
Related Story: Hawks rookie John Collins notches first career double-double in loss to Nets
Right now defenses are forcing Dennis to take mid-range jumpers off the pick-and-roll. He’s improved as a mid-range shooter and hopefully as the season moves on, he’ll the extend his jumper farther out and get to the free throw at a higher rate. Either way, he’s not in much danger of losing his hold as the team’s leading scorer where he sits currently at 23.3 pts/game.
John Collins flashes potential
John Collins has been a joy to watch early in the season. He plays with a lot of energy and athleticism and is a very willing roll man in the pick-and-roll. He flashed a mid-range jumper in the opener against Dallas and runs the floor extremely well. He also finished with his first career double-double Sunday against the Nets with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
There are some gaps in his defense but that’s to be expected from any rookie. He’ll keep learning as the season progresses and will be a big reason to keep watching the Hawks this year. They seemed to have drafted a good one with the 19th pick.
Dewayne Dedmon is the Hawks’ best shooter
That’s a bit of sarcasm but Dewayne Dedmon looks very comfortable shooting the basketball. This wasn’t something I expected coming into the season. He’s made 50% from the beyond the arc on his four attempts this year and is shooting 55% overall, many of which are mid-range jumpers.
I’m not sure if the outside shooting is sustainable but he’s clearly willing to take the open shot and is being encouraged to do so. Let’s hope it continues as the Hawks need all the outside shooting they can get right now. They’re shooting just 41% from the field as a team and 30.7% from three.
Next: Postgame reaction to the Atlanta Hawks dropping to 1-2 against the Brooklyn Nets
Despite the up and down start to the season for the Atlanta Hawks, there are plenty of positives to draw from as they travel to Miami to face the Heat on Monday. There’s a lot of basketball left to play this season. However, if Dennis is out for any significant period of time, the Hawks will be left searching for answers on offense. Now is the time for guys like Kent Bazemore and Taurean Prince to fill the gap and take another step forward.