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
Atlanta Hawks player who could heat up No. 1) Danilo Gallinari
The sharpshooting big man, Danilo Gallinari has been a little hit and miss in the offseason. He has had two games where he has scored 21 points and one game where he has scored 12 points. In the other four games, he has scored nine points or less including the one-point effort in Game 5 against the Knicks.
This has led to him averaging 11.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 23.6 minutes per game. He has been shooting the ball very inconsistently as well, going at 37.5 percent from the floor, 38.9 percent from deep, and 93.8 percent from the line.
If the Hawks are going to make a serious push for the finals, they need Gallinari to put it all together on a nightly basis. In the third game of the Knicks series, Gallinari went 4-of-4 from deep, then in the second game of the 76ers series, he went 5-of-9. He went 8-of-8 from the line in the fourth game of the Knicks series. He needs to put it all together in one and every game.
As one of their most experienced players, Gallinari needs to step up and be the veteran the Hawks paid big money to. He needs to hit his shots, especially from beyond the 3-point line.
Atlanta Hawks player who could heat up No. 2) Lou Williams
After the Hawks traded Lou Williams for Rajon Rondo, the three-time sixth mon of the year showed some really good flashes. He solves the regular season issue of production during the non-Trae Young minutes.
He also helped the Hawks beat their fourth-quarter blues with his heroics in that period. His instant offense made the rest of the team harder to defend. However, the problem for Williams and the Hawks is that he has not really been a fit for the rotations against the two teams played.
Williams has only averaged 11.6 minutes per game. In that time he has averaged 6.6 points and 1.6 assists. While these numbers may not appear to be earth-shattering, he is shooting the ball well when he is on the court as a rule.
He is shooting 45.9 percent from the floor, 45.5 percent from deep and has not missed a free throw. If he is unleashed as an offensive weapon, the Hawks could almost see an explosion. Williams has shown the potential over his career to play with the opposition’s defense. If they are struggling later in this series, watch for Nate McMillan to unleash Lou at some point.
Atlanta Hawks player who could heat up No. 3) Kevin Huerter
Kevin Huerter is the glue that every team needs, a true Nate McMillan type of player. He gives the team what it needs every night that he hits the floor, which is what his current head coach did for his entire career.
A prime example of this was during the second game of the Philadelphia 76ers series when the rest of the team was struggling to score. Huerter shot the ball incredibly well, going 8-of-10 from the floor and 3-of-5 from deep. He totaled 20 points for the game.
Huerter has been doing a bit of everything, collecting rebounds, assists, blocks and steals almost every game. His production is highly valued off the bench but could McMillan use him with Young and Bogdanovic in the starting lineup to try and get the jump on the 76ers.
His shooting percentages in these playoffs are so good. He is shooting at 57.4 percent from the floor, 48.5 percent from deep, and 66.7 percent from the free-throw line, which he does not get to very often. If he is unleashed to play his own game, especially when Young is on the bench, the Hawks could see a massive benefit.
Atlanta Hawks player who could heat up No. 4) De’Andre Hunter
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While he is injured at the moment, De’Andre Hunter has the ability to hurt the opposition on both ends of the floor. He is only averaging 10.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 0.6 steals in 21.7 minutes per game. He is yet to play in the Philadelphia 76ers series but would be a great benefit if he returns.
The thing with Hunter is that is it not all about his offensive heat which is what the Hawks love so much about him. He is a true lockdown defender and was one of the key reasons that Julius Randle had such a bad series. This was one of the main reasons the Hawks made it through to the 76ers series.
He also has the ability to hurt a team offensively. Hunter can shoot the 3-ball well, muscles his defender into the paint for an easy bucket, and can get to the line where he converts at an 85.9 percent clip. He has taken such a leap from last season.
If he can make it back to the lineup in this series, Hunter is going to make an impression. The Hawks will hope that he will heat up at both ends of the floor to help take this series and make the conference finals.