Opening night for Atlanta against the Raptors was nothing short of a defensive catastrophe.
The Raptors poured on an incredulous 86 points in the paint against the helpless Hawks, making it look as though the rim was 10 feet wide and the Hawks’ (typically) staunch defensive anchors like the stars of their school’s JV team. While the caveat of losing Dyson Daniels to early foul trouble may alleviate some of the team’s blame, it's far from offering a complete exoneration.
Once more against the Chicago Bulls, the fully healthy Hawks weren't able to shore up their greatest defensive weakness, allowing a whopping 64 points in the paint to a squad poised for a play-in spot (or worse).
Turnovers & transition points were not the problem in another complete defensive breakdown.
While the 64 points in the paint Atlanta allowed were a number you'd like to forget, the bright side was their own interior performance on the offensive end of the floor, posting 66 PIP themselves. The first thought that would strike many from this atypical avalanche of points in the paint would likely be an indication of a massive quantity of turnovers - upon further analysis, it's anything but.
The NBA average turnovers per game last season was just under 16. In total, this represents approximately 32 turnovers per game across both teams in any individual game played.
Against Chicago, the Hawks committed a mere 6 turnovers and generated only 14, for a total of 20 in-game turnovers, 12 below the league average. This throws the turnover hypothesis out the window and instead points to something more grim.
Atlanta's only having allowed 6 turnovers and 21 fast break points against Chicago indicates a complete halfcourt defensive failure.
If the Hawks can't shore up the paint in a daunting upcoming schedule on the road, the following question has to loom large - how much time do they have to figure things out before they sink too deep in a shockingly competitive Eastern Conference?