Soaring Down South
Fansided

Atlanta Hawks: 3 Takeaways from Hawks Comeback Win in Phoenix

By Michael Walton

PHOENIX, AZ - FEBRUARY 2: John Collins #20 of the Atlanta Hawks shoots the ball against the Phoenix Suns on February 2, 2019 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - FEBRUARY 2: John Collins #20 of the Atlanta Hawks shoots the ball against the Phoenix Suns on February 2, 2019 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
Atlanta Hawks
PHOENIX, AZ – FEBRUARY 2: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns dunks the ball against the Atlanta Hawks (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Atlanta Hawks transition defense is the main issue of concern heading into All-Star break

The Atlanta Hawks outplayed the Suns in may facets of this game but as per usual, their turnover issues made this game much closer than it should’ve been.

The Hawks had a very worrying 24 turnovers and gave up 33 points off of those turnovers. And on top of that, they were often slow to get back in transition, surrendering a whopping 38 fastbreak points to the Suns.

And since the Hawks were so slow getting back in transition, they also were late getting to shooters. Open shots were the only thing that could give this Suns team confidence, and the Hawk allowed them to get out and run to create those easy looks.

When the Atlanta Hawks did get at least one man back, they did an OK job of not fouling, but you could easily find situations where having at least two defenders back would’ve benefited their ability to protect the basket in transition.

Even in the fourth quarter, where the Atlanta Hawks imposed their will on the Suns, Phoenix was able to rack up 8 fastbreak points and 8 points off turnovers. The Atlanta Hawks have shown that led by Lloyd Pierce, they take the right shots, and in the halfcourt, force the opposition into the right types of shots.

But the next big step for this team in Year 2 of the rebuild will be improving on their defense in transition. They are dead last in opponent’s fastbreak PPG, and though it is sometimes hard for great offensive rebounding teams to get back on transition D, teams like the Thunder show that it is possible to do both.

Home/Hawks News