The Atlanta Hawks are peaking after their slow start

The Atlanta Hawks were back in action last night with a hard-fought road win against the Indiana Pacers. After their seven-game winning streak was snapped over the weekend, the Hawks will come back to Atlanta for four of their next five games with some very winnable games in the mix. After a slow start to the season, the Hawks are playing some of the best team basketball in all of the NBA.

The Hawks are 8-2 in their last 10 games after the rocky start to the season. Doubters and naysayers were ready to discount all the late-season and postseason success the Hawks had after a slow start. However, the Hawks’ recent run has proven that they are still one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and all of the NBA.

The numbers also prove it. With this chart below, it is easy to see why the Hawks have gone on such an impressive run. In their last ten games, the Hawks have been the best offense in all of the NBA. They have been a top-ten defense as well, landing them at the 3rd spot with an overall net rating. The Hawks are a scary team when playing this well and a legitimate contender to return to the Eastern Conference finals, and possibly beyond.

The Atlanta Hawks need to keep producing throughout the season

Now, it’s easy to overreact to a stretch of games at the end of November and the start of December but this Hawks team is proving to be the team everyone thought they were before the season started. But the most impressive thing about this Hawks run has been their defense, an area that has been a weakness for the team for a while.

Despite losing one of their best perimeter defenders in De’Andre Hunter, the Hawks have only been playing better team defense. It’s a testament to what the coaching Nate McMillan and his staff have done but also a mark of pride for this roster.

Now, the NBA season is very long, and some say doesn’t even start until after Christmas, which is a few weeks away still. There will be peaks and valleys, and right now the Hawks are on a high peak. It’s not likely it will last until May, especially with the grind of the season.

The Hawks are still a relatively young team that will have bad nights and other circumstances they can’t control. The injury bug has already hit the Hawks with Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic set to miss some significant time.

For now, the Hawks are playing some of their best basketball and are climbing their way back to the top of the playoff picture. With a much deeper Eastern Conference this season, a top-four seed in the East is no guarantee for any team, especially the Hawks are their slow start. However, if they can maintain this level and continue to gel as a team, the sky is the limit for these Atlanta Hawks.