As the Atlanta Hawks see their losing streak hit five games the search for answers rages on. They’ve lost seven of their last eight, have allowed an average of over 118 points per game in that span. Opponents have scored 120-plus points on them in four of the eight games, all losses.
Offensively, they’ve averaged just over 107 points per game; about six points fewer than last season.
This has led Nate McMillan to connect the lackluster defense to a disjointed offense, saying players have been bringing tough shooting nights or bad officiating with them to the other side of the court.
They’ve had too many uncharacteristic mental lapses, even from the team’s best in that regard.
Trae liked the fight in his team tonight in a tough spot.@TheTraeYoung | @ATLHawks pic.twitter.com/L5djUDTiho
— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) November 10, 2021
The Atlanta Hawks have seen their losing streak extended to five games
One of their best from the night was certainly Trae Young. The fourth-year superstar point guard finished the night with 27 points and six assists. He shot 47.6 percent from the floor and went 5-of-11 from beyond the arc. It was one of his best days shooting the long ball as Young has been feeling it from deep of late.
He’s hit 13-of-28 threes over the Hawks last three contests, good for a 46.4 percent average. Young had been 3-for-16 from downtown over the previous three outings. It wasn’t all good for Young as he had six turnovers for the second time in three games.
Four of those came in the second half though the Hawks still won the turnover battle.
Still, his was a mostly positive showing. Yet it was not the one to earn the stud of the game. That went to someone who was filling in as a starter.
Atlanta Hawks stud from second loss to Jazz: Kevin Huerter had a great night
One of the most unsettling storylines out of the first 12 games has been the struggles of Kevin Huerter. The 6-foot-7 wing is averaging 8.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists; all career-low numbers. Things were definitely tougher in the early going for the fourth-year man out of Maryland.
He only reached double-digit points once in the first five games. During that span, he averaged 4.8 points on 28.6 percent shooting and went 3-for-20 from outside.
Since a one-game absence versus the Washington Wizards, he’s averaged 13.6 points, has shot 58.3 percent overall, and has gone 11-of-20 from downtown. That includes his 28-point outburst against the Jazz on Tuesday.
Huerter shot 61.1 percent from the floor and was 6-of-9 from three.
This marks the second consecutive good game Huerter has had from deep and he’s 9-of-15 over the last two games.
Hopefully, this performance — that evoked memories of his 27-point explosion in Game 7 of last season’s playoff series versus the Philadelphia 76ers — is a sign of things to come.
Huerter isn’t necessarily a great shooter but he is a very good one and the Hawks have certainly been hoping for consistency on the perimeter.
That his big game came in a spot-start for the injured Bogdan Bogdanovic may ultimately be nothing. But at the very least it seemingly allowed him to play a little freer. Perhaps he was without the worry of being called back to the bench for poor performance, though that hadn’t really been happening.
Whatever the case, the Hawks need many more performances closer to this from Huerter and fewer like those that littered the season’s start.
Atlanta Hawks dud from second loss to Jazz: John Collins has to impact the game even on off-shooting nights
One of the better stories for the Hawks this season has been John Collins. Statistically, he is experiencing a dip in his raw numbers on the year just as the rest of the team is. But he has still been one of their most consistent performers night in and night out in what has been a rough start to the season.
Collins is averaging 15.5 points and 8.5 boards with a career-high 2.3 assists per game. He’s matching a career-high and shooting 58.3 percent from the floor and has set a new benchmark in shooting 45.5 percent from beyond the arc.
None of that was present on Tuesday versus Utah.
The 6-foot-9 high-flying forward tallied just seven points while going a dismal 3-of-11 from the floor and 1-of-2 from deep.
Worse yet, he finished the game with just four rebounds making this easily his worse game of the still-young campaign. It marks the fewest rebounds he has hauled in during a single game this season.
Even in his previous two outings with fewer than 10 points, he had at least seven rebounds.
We just gave Collins the stud of the game for his effort against the Phoenix Suns when he had 26 points and 10 boards a couple of games ago making this stinker was even more disappointing.
In Collins’ defense, this was the second leg of a back-to-back. And the Hawks were without two starters, meaning the Jazz could focus more of their efforts on him and Young.
Look for Collins to bounce back on Friday against the Denver Nuggets who should have Nikola Jokic back from suspension.