Atlanta Hawks: 4 keys to victory against the Phoenix Suns

Atlanta Hawks key No. 2) Hit the offensive glass hard

The Suns are a little undersized in the frontcourt. They have two 6’6″ starters in Jae Crowder and Mikal Bridges alongside the 6’11” Ayton. The Rockets proved last season that it is not all about the big man in the middle controlling the boards but not every team has a P.J. Tucker.

Clint Capela is a beast on the boards and is stronger than Ayton. In the Suns game against the Wizards, Robin Lopez outperformed Ayton on the boards just by basically bullying him. While Ayton is averaging 11.2 rebounds a game, he does not fare well when bodies bang in the paint.

https://twitter.com/ATLHawks/status/1349094162675724289?s=20

Then when Ayton comes out of the game it gets worse for the Suns. Their backup centers are Frank Kaminsky and Damian Jones who get 8.0 and 8.4 minutes per game respectively. That means it is Cameron Johnson or Dario Saric who play the backup pivot role.

Capela, John Collins, De’Andre Hunter, and even Bruno Fernando should be able to secure enough offensive rebounds to make sure the Hawks stay in this game with a good chance to win it. Given the Suns hold their opponents to 36.3 percent from deep, which is 10th in the NBA, offensive rebounding is going to be key.