Atlanta Hawks: Should Kris Dunn play next game?
The Atlanta Hawks have taken a 2-1 lead in their playoff series against the New York Knicks. They have done this by taking the first game of the series in Madison Square Gardens. The Knicks came back in the second game but were blown off the court in the third game of the series.
The Hawks have managed to do this by locking down Julius Randle, who was the key to the Knicks’ offense all season. He has shot the ball so poorly that he has hurt the Knicks. It has been the talents of Derrick Rose which has kept them in the series.
Rose has averaged 24.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in 38.3 minutes per game. He has been shooting the ball incredibly well going 51.7 percent from the floor, 50.0 percent from deep, and 100 percent from the line.
The Atlanta Hawks have the weapon to stop Derrick Rose, Kris Dunn.
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Rose started the last game, after being the Knicks bench weapon for the first two games. He was matched up against Trae Young and the Hawks’ point guard was unstoppable. The problem is that this was Tom Thibodeau’s big shot to try and bring the series back to level pegging.
Unfortunately for Thibodeau and the Knicks, this did not work out. Instead, he played just under 39 minutes in a loss. He then has to back up in his 13th year as a pro just a day and a half later to play a crucial game four.
Rose may or may not start in the fourth game of the series, but the Knicks are desperate to level the series. This means that Rose will certainly play big minutes, given that he is the only Knicks player who has been able to score consistently against the Hawks’ defense.
Kris Dunn should be used against Rose in an effort to force him into turnovers. Dunn has the ability to pick up the defense as soon as the ball is inbounded and pressure the ball all the way up the court. If he is used in conjunction with Young, Lou Williams, and Bogdan Bogdanovic.
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I am not suggesting that Dunn should start, far from it. The team needs to get off to a fast start which they do with one of the best backcourts in the NBA. Dunn needs to be used in short bursts to help tire Rose out.