Hawks will be contenders if they can solve one final lineup issue

The Atlanta Hawks are now 2-7 in the month of December. After outperforming initial expectations, the team is quickly coming back down to Earth.

A collapse of this nature, however, was a bit unexpected. Ignoring the ongoing availability concerns of veteran center Kristaps Porzingis, the Hawks have only been getting healthier as the season has progressed. Trae Young recently returned from his prolonged absence. Usually a stable presence in the lineup, Atlanta's star guard missed 22 straight games with a right MCL sprain.

Although many would point to Young being back healthy as the main reason for Atlanta's drop-off, he's only been on the court for two of their seven losses this month. Reality has been creeping up on this Hawks team for weeks.

Atlanta's offense stayed afloat during Young's absence. It wasn't perfect, but they had just enough to keep up with the best teams in the conference. What really made them stand out, though, was how solid they had become on the defensive end.

Without Young, they were able to lean on their size and switchable tendencies to defend at a high level. The lineup's versatility on both ends was key to their success.

The Hawks came into December on a high note. They began the month looking for their third consecutive victory. The prior two wins, however, started to show glimpses of what's fully apparent today.

The defensive identity was starting to fade away. Instead of controlling the tempo on both ends of the floor, the Hawks consistently found themselves in shootouts.

Atlanta has been remarkable on one end, but not so much on the other...

It became clear that Young's absence wasn't the long-term boost they needed. If the defense was struggling even with him off the floor, adding him back into the lineup couldn't make it much worse.

The team's offensive ceiling, however, rises exponentially when he's on the floor. Some would call this a fair trade-off, and it's been evident ever since his return.

In just two games played since Trae Young's return from injury, Atlanta's offense has risen to new heights. On Sunday night against the Chicago Bulls, the Hawks scored 150 points in regulation, with Young and Jalen Johnson combining for 71 of them.

Many would think that offensive production of this caliber would result in wins. Up to this point in the season, however, it has not. As Atlanta's offense gets better, its effort on the defensive end suffers.

It's a bit surprising, considering the amount of defensive talent Atlanta possesses. They've made it a focus in recent years to surround Trae Young with quality defenders, bringing in guys like Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. In the frontcourt, Zaccharie Risacher has taken a massive leap on this end, and Onyeka Okongwu is one of the most mobile centers in the league.

Jalen Johnson was supposed to be among this group of two-way contributors, but his remarkable offensive leap has come with a major hit to his defensive success. He's been forced into a heavier playmaking load this season, giving him less time to focus on an established area of his game.

Until the Hawks are able to maintain some defensive consistency, wins will not come. The potential is there, but it's up to the players and coaching staff to realize the problem they have on their hands.