The Hawks are emerging as a legit team!
In recent years, the Atlanta Hawks have been known for giving some of the most outrageous contracts to players. Joe Johnson and Josh Smith left the team in 2012 and 2013 (respectively) giving the Atlanta much-needed fresh start. With Al Horford emerging as a star, while both Paul Mislap and Jeff Teague improved their game significantly; the Hawks soon built chemistry in the early stages of last season. Horford was having a career year averaging 19 points a game; but unfortunately suffered a season-ending injury. A complete tear to his right pectoral muscle, would soon put immerse pressure on others to fill his void.
Although the team would lose in the first round of the playoffs, they had the number one seed Indiana Pacers on the brink of elimination, forcing a game 7 without their best player on the court. This year, the Hawks have jumped out the gate with a 20-7 record, including winning 15 of their last 17 games. With impressive wins over Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and their infamous 30-point blowout over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Hawks have quickly gained attention from the rest of the league and are being taken serious.
It’s extremely early in the season, but head coach Mike Budenholzer has the team focused on the number one and two goals all successful organizations need – playing defense and team basketball. Role players Kyle Korver, Pero Antic, DeMarre Carroll, and Dennis Schroder have found their identity under this blue collar scheme and are poised to cause havoc later this spring in the playoffs.
With a veteran core of players and youth willing to play their role, the Hawks could cause serious problems for the defensively-hindered Cavaliers and the always unhealthy Bulls. Atlanta still lacks serious playoff experience, but have a prime-ready collective of players aligned with a veteran sharp-shooter that scares every team in the league. It may be December right now, but only health can hold the Hawks from being contenders at this point.