Atlanta Hawks: Brandon Goodwins has stepped up without Trae Young

The Atlanta Hawks have won the past two games against the Charlotte Hornets and the Toronto Raptors. Why this is noteworthy is that they have done so without the key contributors Trae Young, John Collins, Tony Snell, Cam Reddish, De’Andre Hunter, and Danillo Gallinari.

The Hawks are still getting good contributions from Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic, who has stepped up in a major way. What this allows for is the rest of the squad, who don’t play very often, to feel comfortable to produce within the system.

A big part of the system is the coach, however, the system is only as good as the players implementing it. It appears that Nate McMillan has the Hawks playing a brand of basketball that suits almost every player on their roster.

The Atlanta Hawks have benefitted from Brandon Goodwin’s play

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In the game against the Hornets, Goodwin was so hard to stop. He used his speed to get to the basket and also shot the ball well from deep. He did most of his damage in the first quarter which then allowed for Bogdanovic to take over the rest of the game.

Goodwin would finish the night with 17 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. He had a game-high plus 20 impact on the box score. A big reason for that was his efficiency, shooting 7-of-10 from the floor and 3-of-6 from deep.

In the next game against the Toronto Raptors, Goodwin was again really solid. He collected a stat line of 18 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. He was efficient again, going 6-of-12 from the floor and 3-of-4 from deep. His only blemish was going 3-of-6 from the line.

Goodwin had another game-high plus six impact on the box score. In a game that was decided by five points, this is a significant contribution. Hopefully Young will be back for the next game against the Milwaukee Bucks, but if not, look for Goodwin to perform well again.