Atlanta Hawks: 3 goals for Gorgui Dieng in the 2021-22 season

Goals for Atlanta Hawks big man Gorgui Dieng No. 2) Be a point of difference at the center position.

One of the biggest issues in the frontcourt last season was a lack of difference. When Capela was on the court he scored close to the hoop. He was often on the receiving end of a lob from Trae Young or put the ball into the hoop after collecting an offensive rebound.

When Okongwu came on to replace him, he would also be attacking the hoop. He was the best exponent of the pick and roll in his draft class and when Lou Williams arrived at the Hawks via trade, he and Okongwu developed some true chemistry.

However, it was still all going downhill. If Capela was unable to score, then it became unlikely that Okongwu would score easily. This meant that the whole team had to change how they were playing, sometimes for the better, sometimes not.

With Dieng’s ability to hit the long ball, he can change the way that the opposition defends the Hawks. This will then allow the Hawks playmakers to use their creativity more as they will have more space within the paint to do so. This may change the course of some games in the Hawks favor and as we saw last season, one game can be the difference in seeding.