NFL
By: Nick Andre
The NBA is back from All-Star Break. At this point, it’s time for a playoff push. Clinching certain seeds is important because you want to place your team in a great position to succeed. Standing at the ninth seed, the Atlanta Hawks will look to keep their playoff hopes alive. They’re currently in the Play-In Bracket and want to maintain that spot to contend for the Playoffs
What a season it has been in the city of ATL. Fans didn’t know what to expect from their Hawks this season. With different transactions that have taken place, the expectations were for this season to be a rebuild one. Luckily, the Hawks have shown that they are here to compete. With great coaching and great chemistry, the team has been proving the doubters wrong.
Yes, it has been a rollercoaster affair for the Hawks. They’ve had moments where they couldn’t be stopped while others showed they still have a long way to go. With Trae Young as your franchise player, the goal should always be to win. The Hawks front office did their big one by surrounding their star with key players to help him succeed.
Speaking of Young, it’s been another All-Star-caliber season for the seven-year veteran. Don’t let his original snub fool you. Young has continued to show he’s one of the most dangerous point guards in the NBA. He’s averaging 23.7 points along with 11.5 assists through 51 games, making this his third consecutive season averaging a double-double.
While Young has continued to shine, the big test was finding ways to make his teammates better. The Hawks’ supporting cast has been spectacular, to say the least. From players like Larry Nance Jr, Dyson Daniels, and others, the Hawks have shown to improve their supporting cast with players who can perform at a high level. The role players have contributed to some big wins against top teams like the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, and several others.
You also can’t forget the spectacular play of the Hawks’ #1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher. What a rookie campaign it has been for the 19-year-old protege. Risacher has continued to lead the way for Atlanta as one of the star players. He’s continued to show his versatility by playing multiple positions and making an impact as a scorer, rebounder, and playmaker. Having a talent like Risacher in the rotation takes a load off of Trae Young. There’s another elite playmaker the team can rely on to lead the offense when needed.
While there has been success, it’s only right to address the failures as well. While the Hawks have found success this season, there’s a reason why they ended the first half of the season at 26-29. The Hawks are ranked 16th in Defensive Rating. For most of the season, they’ve been in shootouts against opposing teams while the games were close in the high 100s. As the season winds down, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder has to put more emphasis on getting stops on defense. How can they force turnovers? How can they slow down teams from shooting efficiently? The Hawks are coming off a loss to the Orlando Magic Thursday night, a contest where they allowed a team to shoot 48 percent from the floor. Elevating the defense is key for Atlanta if they want to remain playoff-bound.
There are 26 games left in the regular season and the Hawks are only three and a half games back of the sixth seed to avoid being a Play-In team. As I said, teams must place themselves in good positions before the postseason arrives. But that comes from building chemistry and momentum down the stretch of the season. Anything is possible for the Atlanta Hawks. The biggest key is defense. If they can become a menace on that end of the floor, then I can bet that they’ll continue to play beyond the regular season.
