The Atlanta Hawks are rolling.
Consistency is critical in a league that favors stability, and after a rollercoaster first half of the season for the Hawks, they've seemingly found their stride. Now victors of four straight, momentum is shifting, and fans in Atlanta couldn't be more thrillled.
The new year began with a blockbuster trade, really setting the tone for the level of energy they've been playing with as of late. In early January, General Manager Onsi Saleh sent superstar guard Trae Young to the Washington Wizards in exchange for veterans CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.
Being midseason additions, however, McCollum and Kispert didn't immediately gel into the rotation that was starting to find its own groove. The awkward transition flipped the promising start to the Jalen Johnson era on its back.
After winning the first three games since the trade, the Hawks then lost three straight, capped off by a massive defeat at home to the Boston Celtics.
Quin Snyder and Hawks fans alike knew they couldn't waste any more time. Change had to happen, quickly, or the losses were just going to continue to pile up. The tough choice was made, and it was up to the new lineup to turn the page and fully commit to this new identity.
Inserting a newcomer into the starting lineup has paid off tremendously.
If anyone was going to replace Vit Krejci in the starting lineup, many would assume it would be CJ McCollum, the 13-year veteran guard who hasn't been a full-time sixth-man since early in his career.
That assumption, however, just wasn't the case. Disregarding experience with the team, Snyder took a huge risk, benching fan-favorite Vit Krejci for Corey Kispert. This decision caught most fans off guard.
On paper, it made sense. An efficient, 6'6" forward with solid defensive tendencies should fit seamlessly alongside a Jalen Johnson-led team searching for size, toughness and lineup continuity.
The only issue was that Kispert simply wasn't used to a starting role. In his last three seasons before coming to Atlanta via trade, the versatile forward appeared in 160 games, starting in just 24 of them.
He had carved out a reliable bench role in Washington, and many fans justifiably believed he wasn't ready for a prominent role with much larger implications. Well, it took just five games for Kispert to prove critics wrong. Quin Snyder should be patting himself on the back.
The bold move has worked to a charm. Even in the close loss that Atlanta suffered in his first game in the starting lineup, it was clear that the energy was beginning to shift. After the game, Snyder made sure to note that he loved the way the team played, and that they would've won if they knocked down just a few more of their wide-open looks.
They've been lights out since. Now on a four-game winning streak, the Hawks are playing with the most momentum they've had all season, and Kispert has improved his fit in the starting lineup with every passing day.
If it wasn't for this massive gamble from Snyder, the Hawks likely would've dug themselves into too deep of a whole to climb out of. Now, just one game behind a .500 record, a late-season run to the playoffs isn't out of the realm of possibilities.
Take a bow, Quin.