Atlanta Hawks: 3 key trends to watch for in Game 5 of the ECF

Atlanta Hawks key trend to watch for No. 1: Playing the passing lanes has been a surprising strength

One of the bigger recent storylines for Atlanta has been the health of Bogdan Bogdanovic whose knee soreness was a major concern coming into this series. But even while he was shooting poorly he was making a positive impact, albeit in an unexpected way. Bogdanovic leads all players in steals this postseason with 26.

During the six-game stretch before his Game 4 explosion, Bogdanovic averaged just 6.2 points on 26.8 percent shooting while going 16.7 percent from three-point range. He managed to notch 12 steals though, nearly doubling his average from the regular season.

In Game 4, Bogdanovic had four more steals (on top of dropping 20 for the third time this postseason) and Cam Reddish had two takeaways of his own in a stellar second career playoff game.

The Hawks took the ball away from the Bucks 11 times leading to 16 points. It was their first time winning the turnover battle in this series and something they struggled with in the last series as well, as they lost the turnover battle against the 76ers but, obviously, ultimately won.

They’ve been able to overcome it but they are playing with fire that way.

Thanks in large part to how much he handles the ball, Young is third in the postseason in total turnovers. If he plays in Game 5, he will have to be extra cautious with the ball as the Bucks would undoubtedly pressure when he has it. In many ways, his absence from Game 4 kept Milwaukee from pressuring any of Atlanta’s ball-handlers.

So, while Bogdanovic’s steals have been huge, they won’t mean a thing if the Hawks revert to giving the ball away more than they take it.

Speaking of taking it, the Hawks should remember they don’t always have to on offense.