Kawhi Leonard's reputation & 2 other X-factors as Hawks visit Clippers

The Atlanta Hawks suffered a veritable triple loss on Friday night.

Their record took a hit while the incoming first-round draft pick from the Los Angeles Lakers, who notched the victory on Friday, got worse. What’s more, the pick the Hawks owe to the San Antonio Spurs got better.

The Hawks are riding a two-game losing streak, dropping a tilt against the Denver Nuggets before the Lakers amid a six-game road trip.

In a surprising twist, Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard will make his season debut tonight.

His list of accolades only partly describes the kind of player that he is, with seven All-Defensive Team selections, six All-Star and All-NBA appearances, two Defensive Player of the Year awards, and two championships.

Leonard is a three-level scorer, capable of getting his own offense and finding teammates freed up by his gravity.

He is also a cold-blooded finisher.

Leonard will almost certainly be on a minutes restriction in his first game since March 31 of the 2023-24 season. But Leonard can also be one of the most efficient scorers in the league – when he is on the floor, that is.

Leonard has missed a lot o in recent seasons, though. At some point, all the injuries begin to catch up, especially when players get further into their 30s.

Leonard is 33.

Bench Bombed

The Hawks have done a lot of damage with their second unit, which normally features Bogdan Bogdanovic, De’Andre Hunter, and Onyeka Okongwu.

After being short-handed against the Nuggets, all three played against the Lakers.

It did not make a difference. Bogdanovic was rusty in his first game back from a five-game absence, finishing with 5 points and was 1-for-4 from beyond the arc. Hunter had his worst game of the season, scoring 3 points on 1-for-12 shooting from the floor. 

Okongwu was solid with a 14-11 double-double. But the Hawks needed two of their better scorers – on the roster, not just the bench – to deliver and they simply did not.

Fans should expect both players to get right and soon.

It was a reminder of just how precarious the Hawks’ standing in the Eastern Conference is. But it is also notable that both losses have come against the West.

Hawks’ East Coast bias

The Hawks are 18-17 this season. But they are notable 13-7 against the East and 5-10 against the West.

Why does that matter?

Unfortunately for the Hawks, their next five games are all against the West, with the next three on the road. But just 16 of their final 47 regular season games are against the other conference. And the Hawks will not see a Western Conference team in the playoffs until *fingers crossed* the NBA Finals.

There is a long way – and potentially some roster moves – to go before we get there, though, and the Hawks still have work to do.