Atlanta Hawks: Lou Williams needs to continue to break out of his slump
The Atlanta Hawks took a well-deserved win against the Phoenix Suns last game out. They now take on the Indiana Pacers who are a team in turmoil. They have said that their coach may not be with the franchise next season which always has a destabilizing impact.
They suspended assistant coach Greg Foster for the Hawks game for the verbal altercation he had with center Goga Bitadze during the embarrassing loss to the lowly-ranked Sacramento Kings. The Kings were missing several key players and still got the win.
The game before, the Pacers lost to the Washington Wizards, with a scoreline of 154-142 which speaks volumes for their defense, or lack of it. The players appear not to be responding to coach Nate Bjorkgren’s message. It is usually the defensive end where players stop playing when they are not happy with their situation.
Atlanta Hawks bench star Lou Williams should flourish in this situation
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While every player who makes it to the NBA is a competitive person, when they lose that mental edge they appear to not be at the top of their game. Lou Williams, who up until the Suns game was in a slump, feasts on teams whose defense is not cohesive.
In the four games prior to the Suns’ matchup, Williams had averaged 5.3 points, 3.8 rebounds,, and 3.8 assists in 20.5 minutes per game. He shot the ball at 19.2 percent from the floor, 25.0 percent from deep, and 76.9 percent from the line.
He was able to turn this around against the Suns where he had 16 points, five assists, and four rebounds. He went 6-of-11 from the floor, 2-of-4 from deep, and 2-of-2 from the line. As a pure shooter, it only takes one shot for Williams’ game to be turned around.
Look for Williams to back up this game with another good one against the Pacers. They do not have a true shot-blocker on the floor at the moment due to Myles Turner being out with injury. This will allow Williams to drive to the hoop in the pick and roll or feed Onyeka Okongwu as he did against the Suns.
dark. Next. The second unit has made the back to back easier
This, in turn, frees Williams up from deep as his defender does not know if he is going to shoot it or drive. Without a cohesive defense, look for Williams to shine and continue to break out of his slump.