The Atlanta Hawks are not where they would want to be, both with the way that the team is playing and as a result where they sit in the standings. While the fixture is being very unkind to them at the moment, they have bigger issues.
They are struggling on so many levels with their offense on the road. On a bright note, with the exception of the loss to the Utah Jazz, they have made State Farm Arena into a fortress which is very hard for opposition teams to get a win.
Admittedly, thanks to the injury-interrupted preseason, Nate McMillan has been unable to get the team going the way he would have desired. However, as we saw last season, the team can overcome a bad start to the season and still be competitive. Except for the injury to Trae Young the Hawks could have been NBA champions.
Atlanta Hawks takeaway No. 1) The Hawks are struggling for chemistry
As was flagged by site expert Josh Buckhalter, the Hawks were always going to struggle to meet McMillan’s goal of team chemistry due to the injuries suffered in the preseason. The benefit for the Hawks here is they have bought back so many of their core from last season.
So why are they suffering chemistry issues then? Well, De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish were only available for a small amount of time after McMillan took over as coach. On top of that, they are trying to integrate a new point guard in the second unit, all of which takes time.
Atlanta Hawks takeaway No. 2) They are good at home, not so good on the road
The Hawks have been really good at home since McMillan took over. They have really turned State Farm Arena into a fortress and this is one of the things a playoff team needs to do. They did recently lose to the Utah Jazz on their home floor but there were extenuating circumstances for that one.
When they play on their home floor, it seems that the fans are able to keep them focussed. This is crucial for them to maintain their home record. It, unfortunately, is the trademark of most young teams and despite the veteran’s the front office has bought in over the past two seasons, the team’s core is still quite young.
The Hawks have only won one game on the road, a close 3-point victory against the struggling New Orleans Pelicans. They were even up in a big way in the most recent game against the Phoenix Suns before evetually losing by four points. Losing Hunter prior to the game hurt as his natural opponent, Devin Booker, proved too much for the Hawks to handle.
It is obvious that McMillan is frustrated with the Hawks inability to win consistently on the road. He has flagged that is a player is not putting in on both ends of the court then there will be rotation changes.
Atlanta Hawks takeaway No. 3) Cam Reddish is really good
Cam Reddish has started the season out with a bang. He has been incredibly aggressive on offense, while finding a better balance between his 3-point shooting and his attacking of the rim. He is hitting a career-high 35.6 percent from beyond the arc.
As a bench player, Reddish is leading the team in steals with 1.4 per game which was helped by his season-high four in the previous game against the Utah Jazz. This is leading to the Hawks being able to get into transition which is their happy place.
Reddish is the barometer for the Hawks. When he is playing well and having a positive impact on the box score, the Hawks win. When he has a negative impact on the box score the Hawks tend to lose. This is not always a good way to measure a players impact on a game but when it is that clear cut, there is something in it.
His efficiency splits show that Reddish has grown as an offensive player. He is shooting career highs in every category, going 41.1 percent from the floor, 35.6 percent from deep, and 89.0 percent from the line. If Reddish can continue to show this growth, he will be in line for some awards at the end of the season.