Few players in the history of the NBA have ever managed to make isolation scoring look pretty.
The creme de la creme of all iso engines is, of course, James Harden, but players like Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Tracy McGrady, and even Trae Young come to mind as players capable of producing respectable looks all by themselves.
Unfortunately for the Hawks, they lack that iso scorer this year with Young out. No single player, even breakout MVP candidate Jalen Johnson, is clearly capable of being a heliocentric engine. As a result, Coach Snyder has been clear that his strategy is to shy away from iso ball.
Ranking 2nd to last in the entire league in isolation frequency (3.8%) and 3rd to last in isolation points per possession (0.71), the Hawks have played to their strengths – or rather, played away from their weaknesses.
Don't expect the iso ball to return when Trae does later this season
The idea that the Hawks would return to a more isolation-centric approach when Trae inevitably returns from his knee injury isn't farfetched, until you look at the resume under Coach Snyder.
Even with a healthy Trae during nearly the entirety of last season, the Hawks still ranked second to last in the entire league in isolation looks. Rather than indicating that it's a product of lacking Trae, the trend appears to be more as a result of Quin's coaching style.
Coach Snyder has never been partial to isolation scoring. Even during his time in Utah, primary creators Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley often used the pick-and-roll with the lengthy Frenchman Rudy Gobert to generate most of their scoring. Surprisingly, the Hawks have shied away from even this playstyle this year, opting for as much motion as possible.
In fact, the Hawks have been able to generate the 12th most frequent looks from cutters during the 2025-2026 season, and have converted at the 2nd highest clip in the league on such looks, resulting in a whopping 1.43 points per possession.
When you do the math, even an elite iso scorer won't crack 1.2 PPP, while the Hawks' movement style of basketball has been well clear of such a number. Coach Snyder is well ahead of the curve – the more the offense is in motion, the easier looks you'll generate against an ever-adapting defense.