Atlanta Hawks: Could Kris Dunn get some playing time in Game 7
At the time of writing the Atlanta Hawks have not released if Bogdan Bogdanovic is going to play in the pivotal Game 7. As a result, Kevin Huerter will most probably start in his place, and Solomon Hill or Tony Snell will start on the other wing.
This has the impact of shortening the rotation even more, with Cam Reddish, De’Amdre Hunter, and Brandon Goodwin already being out. This could mean that Nate McMillan could give more playing time to Lou Williams. However, it would be better if he played more in the second half where he has produced some incredible heroics in the past.
The question that then remains is whether or not Kris Dunn will get some playing time as a result. The best-case scenario is that Bogdanovic plays, assuming that his shot is going down. If not then surely McMillan would go to Dunn to provide some defense on Seth Curry.
The Atlanta Hawks could use some more defense in the first half
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The Hawks have had big leads put on them prior to halftime by the Philadelphia 76ers. A big part of this has been the shooting of Curry who has been shooting the lights out in this series. In fact, Curry and Joel Embiid have been the difference in the series.
Dunn is a borderline All-Defensive team point guard and enjoys making life difficult for his opposition. With the exception of the first game, Williams has not produced a huge number of points in the first half of any other game in the series.
If Dunn can give the Hawks between five and eight minutes of first-half lockdown defense, then the Hawks are a good chance of progressing to the Eastern Conference Finals. That is the potential impact of his defense.
The last time Dunn played meaningful minutes this season was the two-game baseball series against the 76ers, where the Hawks were so injury-riddled they were beaten by massive margins. This time Dunn would not have the pressure of running the offense and he could just lock in on defense.
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It is a lot to ask of someone to come in with little playing time in a pressurized environment of a Game 7. However, as a professional basketball player, this is what you live for and you need to be ready.