Atlanta Hawks: Expect Trae Young and LaMelo Ball to put on a show

The Atlanta Hawks (7-9) are in the process of turning their season around after a slow start and going for their fourth-straight win. It’s something they have become somewhat used to after a midseason turnaround last season led to their improbable run to the Eastern Conference Finals.

This year’s start hasn’t been nearly as worrisome — or in need of a coaching change — as that but has been just as perplexing given the amount of talent on this roster.

That is why it is good to see them correcting things here on this homestand.

Their next opponent, the Charlotte Hornets (10-7), is a team that finds itself in a similar position to last year’s Hawks, albeit without the initial drama. They currently sit fifth in the East ahead of play on Saturday while the Hawks look up from 12th.

The Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets have two of the game’s most dynamic point guards

Trae Young and LaMelo Ball will highlight this battle of talented young teams. Both are proof positive the NBA is in good hands for years to come. The Hawks point guard is averaging 25.1 points and 9.2 assists, both numbers being just a shade off of last year’s pace.

He’s shooting career-highs at 44.6 percent overall and 36.8 percent from deep.

This is largely thanks to his play over the last seven games as he’s averaged 28.4 points while shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 45.8 percent from three.

He’s done this while averaging just 5.6 free throws, well down from his free-throw numbers last season. That number is also bolstered by two outings with double-digit attempts; something he has done just one other time this season.

Ball is averaging 19.6 points, 7.5 assists, and 7.6 boards this season while shooting 42.6 percent overall and 38.5 percent from beyond the arc. The points and three-point efficiency are improvements from last season, as is his shooting from the charity stripe.

He is shooting 92.7 percent from the line compared to 75.8 percent last season on more attempts.

Charlotte’s defense improves when Ball sits, much as Atlanta’s does when Young sits. The former’s drop in this regard is less, something that is amplified this season amid the latter’s start.

The Hornets are also getting vastly improved play from Miles Bridges, who is averaging 20.8 points per game this season, as the Hawks are from John Collins. Collins’ improvement has really shown over the last four games as he’s averaged 22.0 points on 54.8 percent shooting.

We said the Hornets — who have traded a five-game skid of their own for their current five-game winning streak — could be a team to watch out for before the season even began. It seems to be playing out. They also gave the Hawks the most trouble out of any other opponent in the Southeast Division., winning 2-of-3 games.

Still, Charlotte is just 4-5 on the road compared to 6-2 at home. That is an advantage for the Hawks who are 6-1 at home (and 1-8 away) for a game that will reportedly be standing-room-only. This is a crucial game for the Hawks, indeed.