NFL
By: Jalen Willingham
The Atlanta Hawks have no doubt been one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA this season. Their shortcomings have not only been within the player personnel but also in the front office. Head coach Nate McMillan has shown that he is not the right person to be leading this young Hawks team with loads of potential.
A recent 143-141 double overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors is just another hit to an underachieving Hawks team that is currently 17-20. Where did everything go wrong? This team, with a lot of the core players remaining, was just in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021.
Offensively, Atlanta relies way too much on iso ball. Point guard Trae Young is an All-NBA talent. The backcourt of Young with Dejounte Murray is one of the best in the league. With the level of talent, these two possess, it’s the coach’s job to develop a scheme that brings the best out of them while also getting everyone else involved. McMillan has failed to do that.
There have of course been many occasions where Young or Murray play hero ball and while they are hurting the team in this aspect, McMillan isn’t giving them much to work with scheme-wise. It looks like everything is either pick and roll or iso. For years, it was the lack of defense that was holding this team back. Now it’s their mediocre offense. They can’t hit threes and show no signs of adjusting. There isn’t enough ball movement and it can be infuriating to watch.
Multiple players all-around are also just hitting their career lows offensively. John Collins is having his worst year as a player barely averaging 13 points while shooting an abysmal 22% from three after his 36% mark last season. While Trae Young is averaging 27.5 points a game, his 41% from the field and 31% from three are both the lowest marks of his career.
On top of the offensive scheming issues, there has been a number of situations where fans are left scratching their head trying to figure out just what in the world is going on. Trae Young having to sit out a game and McMillan being afraid of playing a clearly capable rookie in Aj Griffin at times are just some examples. Ever since Young’s exchange with McMillan went public, there have been trade rumors surrounding the All-star point guard and other players on the team.
There were also rumors about Nate McMillan stepping down from his coaching position with the Hawks. Although Hawks owner Steve Kooning quickly denied the report, this just doesn’t look good on behalf of the players and organization. McMillan said that he’s “coaching in a different generation of players that I played with, and really kind of coached.” He’s stuck in his ways and doesn’t seem to want to get with the times.
All in all, Nate McMillan’s relationship with the team and fans have turned sour very fast and it’s evidently clear that he and the organization need to part ways.
