Bleacher Report has released their opinion about who is in each team’s closing lineup. The Atlanta Hawks starting lineup is set, with only the center position being up for any debate. However, the Hawks have shown over the past two seasons that they are committed to Clint Capela as the starting pivot.
As such the starting five has Trae Young as the point guard with Dejounte Murray as his off guard. De’Andre Hunter is the starting wing with John Collins and Capela starting alongside him in the front court. This starting unit is going to compete with every other starting unit in the league.
Still, as we are all aware, it is not always who starts a game that is the most important lineup. That is the closing lineup when the game is on the line and clutch players need to step up. So who does Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report believe the Hawks should have in their closing lineup?
So, who is in the Atlanta Hawks closing lineup?
According to Bailey, there is only one change from the starting lineup to the closing lineup. He still sees Young and Murray being on the court which is a bit of a no-brainer. They are the Hawk’s best players and both are clutch closers.
Hunter is still on the wing, he is developing into a true three-level scorer who is also a high-level defender. The last member of the starting unit that should be on the court at the end of games is Collins. This leaves Capela on the bench, but who does Bailey believes should be on the court instead?
The answer to that is Bogdan Bogdanovic, which makes sense. This five has three players who can create in Young, Murray, and Bogdanovic as well as five players who can shoot the ball. Offensively this is a lineup with few chinks in the armor. However, Collins is not a strong pivot defensively and if the shots do not drop, then the Hawks will not be able to make stops at the other end.
There is a possibility that Onyeka Okongwu could take Collins’ spot in this lineup. He has developed a jump shot and his defense is a couple of levels up from Collins. He was brilliant last season in games where he closed for the Hawks.