The Atlanta Hawks need to feed Clint Capela, beat the Bulls up inside
The only thing the Atlanta Hawks (15-17) have lost more than games in the last week is players with 10 currently in health and safety protocols with two more shelved with injuries. Their 101-87 loss on Christmas Day to the New York Knicks was as much about who they didn’t have as it was their actual performance.
No, Trae Young not being on the floor didn’t stop him from being on Knicks fans’ minds. But it does mean he won’t be back in time for their home-and-home with the Chicago Bulls (20-10) over the next three days unless he tests out of health and safety protocols.
It’s a Bulls team that is second in the East and just got Zach LaVine back from protocols to team with DeMar DeRozan giving Chicago two top-10 scorers in the NBA,
Young, in the midst of his best statistical season, is fifth in the NBA in scoring.
The Atlanta Hawks need to attack the Bulls with a steady dose of Clint Capela
Clint Capela has come under heavy fire lately even before his six-point, nine-rebound outing against the Knicks on Christmas. He is averaging just 9.4 points and shooting 50 percent from the floor while he’s also struggled at the free-throw line, shooting just 40.7 percent in the month of December.
It’s a stretch worse than his start while he was recovering from a PRP injection for his Achilles during the offseason.
The 2021 rebounding champ was averaging 11.3 points on 58.4 percent shooting when he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Sarah K. Spencer that he was “finally…feeling that I’m back.”
To his credit, he’s still averaging 13.8 boards since that quote was given.
Facing a Bulls team that has just Nikola Vucevic even stanging above 6-foot-9 on their roster, and the Hawks without John Collins, this might seem like a good opportunity to get Capela back rolling offensively before they head out for a six-game road trip the begins with the second leg of their home and home with the Bulls.
However, Chicago is fourth in defensive field goal percentage in the restricted area.
Another tough stretch ahead on the Hawks schedule. light. Related Story
Bulls center Nikola Vucevic, like Capela, has trouble in the pick-and-roll defensively, but holds his own down low, allowing just a 57.7 percent field goal percentage from five feet and in.
There is the added threat Vucevic brings from the perimeter, both as a shot-maker and for the impact of pulling Capela away from the basket.
This just adds to the importance of getting the ball to Capela inside early and often to try and get easy baskets for a short-handed squad. It could also serve to get Vucevic frustrated as he has been in losses where opponents have taken the game to him like the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers a couple of weeks ago.
Saying DeRozan and LaVine complicate matters is an understatement. But the Hawks best bet is to take away the threat most susceptible to it while also getting their own big man back in an offensive groove.
That won’t be easy – as the Indiana Pacers found out on Sunday – but it might be Atlanta’s only shot at stopping a team that’s won six of its last eight.
Next. Studs and duds from Christmas Day loss to the Knicks. dark
The Hawks have lost seven games in a row at home and the loss to the Knicks snapped a six-game road winning streak.