Atlanta Hawks final report card: Offense was not the problem

Consistency: F

The only thing that was consistent about the Hawks was their inconsistency. Their energy was often up and down and it very well could swing during the middle of the game.

Young was quoted in November of last season by Chris Kirschner of The Athletic as saying, “It’s regular season. I’m not going to lie, it’s a lot more boring than the playoffs. You got to find motivation to play like the playoffs.”

The Hawks go as Young goes and if he can not find a way to be motivated during the regular season then Atlanta is going to continue to have this problem. They have to find a level in which they can compete at every game that will allow them to play tough winning basketball throughout the regular season and still have another level or two to ramp it up for the playoffs.

Excitement: B

When the Hawks have it cooking, they are one of the most exciting teams in the NBA. There is nothing more thrilling than Young when he is angry and focused on quieting a rowdy crowd or making the home fans at State Farm Arena go crazy. The alley-oops to Collins, Clint Capela, and Onyeka Okongwu are works of art. Also, nothing looks better than Young, Bogdanovic, and Saddiq Bey firing and draining three-pointers from the logo. The only thing that may be close is to watch Jalen Johnson and Dejounte Murray put defenders on skates as they penetrate to the rim.

With that being said, the Hawks are a joy to watch when they are locked in, the key is to maintain that excitement level throughout the season.

Overall Grade: C

The Hawks have had to contend in the play-in tournament the past couple of seasons and then try to battle one of the top seeds in the playoffs. This season there were numerous highs and just as many lows. Atlanta was mediocre from the stat sheet down to their 41-41 regular-season record.

Hopefully, this is the base to continue building a championship franchise on.