The Atlanta Hawks (36-37) were once again let down by their singularly-focused offensive strategy. Dropping a game on the second night of a back-to-back, as was the case with their 122-101 loss to the Detroit Pistons, can happen to any team. Yes, even when the opponent is one of the worst teams in the NBA.
Add in the absence of Danilo Gallinari (Achilles soreness) along with the continued absence of John Collins (finger/foot) and it makes even more sense.
Were it not for Trae Young and rookie Jalen Johnson, this game would look worse.
Despite their efforts, the Hawks proved once again to be overly reliant on their performance on side of the court. Nothing illustrated this better than the 23-0 run the Pistons went on that grew the deficit go from eight points at halftime to 29 points by the 5:40-mark of the third quarter.
The Atlanta Hawks have to get defensive whenever the season ends
Just nine games remain in the regular season and the Hawks have now dropped three of their last five outings. The injuries to Collins and Gallinari have only made matters worse, but the Hawks have had issues with compounding matters all season. Earlier in the year, we talked about how they struggle when the long ball isn’t falling.
They have also fallen to 4-16 when allowing 120-plus points this season following Wednesday’s defeat in Detroit.
Their biggest issue is more macro than just an inability to knock down threes for stretches or not defending well most of the time. It is their lack of a counterpunch in general that has hamstrung this team as Play-In Tournament bound and looking like an early postseason exit.
What else do they do?
It’s not beyond the pale to suggest that struggling on offense makes it tough to win, especially in today’s NBA. It is, however, important to note that the best offenses and teams are those that can beat you in a number of ways on any given night. For the most part, those teams are not dependent on everyone playing their best to grind out victories.
Take the Memphis Grizzlies for example. Sure, they lost the Hawks minus Trae Young. But they are second in the West and have gone 15-2 without Ja Morant this season.
The Hawks have gone a respectable 3-3 when Young is out and see their defensive rating improve by 5.4 points when he goes to the bench. But their offensive rating drops 7.4 points negating any positive returns on taking their best player out of the game.
Heavy legs and back-to-backs go hand-in-hand. pic.twitter.com/zQYitMABs9
— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) March 24, 2022
Atlanta’s net rating sees a 4.3-point swing for the worse when Young comes out of games.
Per Cleaning the Glass, they are just 7-31 this season when they generate 1.15 points per play or fewer as they did against the Pistons (0.96 PPP).
Again, it is difficult to win when the offense is stagnant or your best player sits or is out. But the Hawks have clearly been living a dying by their offense and doing far more of the latter than would ever be sustainable.
The only teams that are in the top-10 in offensive rating with a worse net rating – an indication of poor defense – are the Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, and Chicago Bulls.
Brooklyn has Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving will now be able to play in every game. Charlotte beat the Hawks just over a week ago. Chicago is fifth in the East despite their recent defensive struggles and just got two of their top three defenders back in the mix. Like Atlanta, all three of those teams are coming off of a loss in their last game.
Nate McMillan blamed tired legs, but this has been a pattern all season long.
On top of needing to address the need for a second star next to Young, the Hawks need to invest in two-way players to round out the roster. Whatever you think of De’Andre Hunter or Delon Wright, they are the only real two-way players on the roster.