If the Atlanta Hawks want to take a step in the right direction this season, they have to win the games they are supposed to. That isn’t some sort of cryptic circular logic. But it’s hard enough to win games against healthy teams to allow depleted ones to get the better of you.
To that end, the Hawks have to be even more disappointed with their last loss.
It isn’t as if the Utah Jazz are a bad team by any stretch. But it would have been hard to tell they were even down Donovan Mitchell with how the Hawks let Jordan Clarkson get loose in the second half.
The Hawks have faced opponents without one of their top two players in sic of their nine games so far this season. They are 2-4 in those games and have lost their last three.
The Atlanta Hawks have to stop playing down to their competition
A road battle against the Phoenix Suns will provide the opportunity to improve upon that mark. Suns center Deandre Ayton will reportedly miss the matchup with a leg contusion he suffered in a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The fourth-year pro was forced to miss their win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The two teams split their two-game mini-series last season with Ayton averaging 10 points and 11 assists.
Javale McGee should start in his place giving Clint Capela an easier matchup defensively but not necessarily providing him or John Collins with lanes to run to the run.
Ditto for Young’s lobs and floaters.
That Suns win over the Pels, added to the fact that this is a road contest, casts an obvious shadow of doubt over this one given how the Hawks have been playing.
They are 1-4 and score 10.8 fewer points per game away from State Farm Arena.
Phoenix is no pushover either. After reaching the NBA Finals last season, they are 4-3 so far this season. They are experiencing a dip similar to the Hawks in their scoring compared to last season but that isn’t really the case on their home court.
How are they adjusting to the new shooting foul rules?
They are shooting more free throws but have been less efficient. Devin Booker has seen a lesser drop in his free throw attempts than Trae Young but has had a nearly identical drop in points per game. Young has been vocal in how he thinks the offense can improve.
After the loss to Utah, Trae Young said he wanted to be more aggressive.
— Sarah K. Spencer (@sarah_k_spence) November 6, 2021
At shootaround in Phoenix this morning, he expanded on that, saying that means he wants to play faster (Hawks are No. 22 in pace at 99.22).
"... I think the faster we play, the better we can be." pic.twitter.com/br02o6N9tz
Ayton — who’s free throw numbers have remained on par — has made a bigger impact on the Suns offense than their defense this season. Their offensive rating drops 6.2 points per 100 possessions with him off of the floor as opposed to a 1.6 point rise for opponents when he is on it.
So the Hawks could look better on that end than they have for much of this season.
Phoenix also ranks 18th in opponent points per game. That is one spot below the Hawks and higher than only the Pelicans among the Hawks opponents so far.
The Hawks haven’t had the start to the season that many would have liked or expected. But the Eastern Conference is still very much up for grabs so early in the season with no teams looking like juggernauts.
If they want to get back on the right track, a win against a wounded, but still dangerous, opponent in a hostile environment will go a long way.