Atlanta Hawks: The Pelicans game is a battle of the pivots

The Atlanta Hawks‘ next game is against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Hawks are 1-2 and should be 3-0 given they need to win the games that they should. Their only loss was to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland. This has not been a happy hunting ground for the Hawks, having lost their last five games on the Cavs home floor.

The Pelicans are 3-1, taking their first win of the season against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Pelicans are missing their main star, Zion Williamson who had surgery on his foot in the offseason and has no timeline for his return according to the Pelicans general manager.

This means that they are looking to get their offense in other ways. Brandon Ingram is providing a fair bit, collecting 27.0 points and 4.8 assists. He is shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc as well as from the field. The other player who has stepped up in a big way is Jonas Valanciunas.

The Atlanta Hawks big men are going to have to step up

Now, to make sure that there is no confusion, I am not saying that the Hawks big men are not pulling their weight, Clint Capela has been playing incredibly well despite his minutes’ restrictions, he is still defending at a high level and finishing with efficiency at the rim as well.

Gorgui Dieng has shown that he is going to be a viable backup with his play in the first three games. This will help take the Hawks deep into the playoffs given that he covers one of the biggest weaknesses from the Hawks from last season.

The reason they need to step up is that the Pelicans’ big man has been huge over the last two games. He has collected a double-double in these outings, the first one being 20 points and 17 rebounds, the second one being 22 points and 23 rebounds.

Valanciunas was also very aggressive, getting to the line eight times in both games, making all eight of them. If the Hawks big men can limit the effectiveness of the Pelicans big man then this will have a huge impact on the result.