The Atlanta Hawks have done incredibly well this postseason. For starters they were not expected to qualify for the postseason directly, they were only slated to make the play-in tournament. They finished the regular season in the fifth seed, ready to take on the fourth-placed New York Knicks.
The Hawks would take care of the Knicks in five games. beating them twice on their home floor. They have then taken the first game in the Philadelphia 76ers second-round series but were beaten in the second game. The Hawks have won home-court advantage on the back of their superstar point guard and the tremendous team play of those surrounding him.
Young, in the first seven games of the series, has averaged 28.9 points, 10.0 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.9 steals in 37.3 minutes per game. These are incredible numbers for a player who is seeing his first playoff action. He has happily taken on the villain role and the narrative will continue to change around Young as he continues to help the Hawks win.
The Atlanta Hawks are getting some really good contributions from other players
John Collins has been huge for the Hawks, he had a bad outing against the Knicks in the second game. Then in the second game against the 76ers, he struggled with foul trouble again. This could be a coincidence but if the script continues, he will show why he will get paid in the offseason with his play.
Clint Capela is playing as advertised, he is rebounding, scoring, and providing paint protection. He had a struggle in Game 2 with foul trouble but when the series returns to Atlanta, this should be less of an issue. Bogdan Bogdanovic has been a good second option and his shooting has been a little up and down. There is a reason this backcourt is one of the best in the NBA.
Now, let’s look at the four players who could still heat up in the postseason