The Hawks have an exciting pair of games against a former beloved player coming up next week.
Atlanta faces off against its former face of the franchise not once, but twice - the Hawks will take on the Wizards on November 4th and 6th in an exciting potential playoff preview.
While Atlanta may seem to be the better team on paper, the Wizards are threatening with how deep their young core has become, paired with the veteran acquisitions of Anthony Davis and Trae Young. If the Hawks are to walk away with two wins, they must prioritize two key defensive schemes.
Ice Trae's interior attack must be contained
As Hawks fans are well aware, Trae Young may make his highlights from behind the arc, but his most lehtal weapons are at his disposal when he's on the downhill runway after a pick-and-roll setup at the top of the key.
Trae hasn't ever been a lethal three-point shooter. Sure, he's got the volume, but he won't kill you with a barrage of triples (usually). Instead, his crisp passing to his lob partners and his near-impeccable float game is what keeps defenders up at night.
As long as the Hawks can manage to keep Young out of the interior (as well as his prospective lob partners), Atlanta's chances of walking away with two wins next week become exponentially greater.
Keeping Washington's twin towers out of the paint is critical
Alex Sarr and Anthony Davis - when healthy - are poised to be one of the most dominant defensive interior duos in the entire league.
It's not ridiculous to liken the pair to Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen on the Cleveland Cavaliers - each of these four bigs has all the capabilities necessary to demolish any offensive attempts on the interior.
The Hawks likely won't be as concerned with the defensive abilities of Sarr and Davis as they are their offensive size, though - as long as Onyeka Okongwu and Jock Landale can space the two shot-swatters out, Johnson and the Hawks' guards should be able to carve up the interior with minimal resistance.
Sarr and Davis, both standing near seven feet tall, are a formidable task for the undersized Hawks frontcourt to contain. While Okongwu has sucessfully parried attacks from Joel Embiid and other larger bigs in the past, it's a difficult task to deny not one but two large, capable scorers near the rim.
Look for Jalen Johnson and Jock Landale to receive extended burn on the defensive end of the court next to Okongwu - the Hawks may even trot out a double big + Jalen Johnson lineup in order to reduce the threat that the large Wizard pair poses.
Regardless of the outcome, it will be an exciting pair of games to behold for Hawks fans - Trae Young is always must-see TV, even if he's playing on the other side.
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