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You are here: Home / Sports / NBA / Atlanta Hawks Rumors And News (Updated Daily) / 3 Reasons The Hawks Are Struggling

3 Reasons The Hawks Are Struggling

By Adam Lowenstein January 15, 2022

Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot #7 of the Atlanta Hawks handles the ball defended by LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half at Crypto.com Arena on January 07, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.
(Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

 

The Atlanta Hawks (17-24) are on a four-game losing streak and are now a season-worst seven games below .500.

They fell to the Miami Heat on Friday:

Final from Miami. pic.twitter.com/mJD4l1MPuj

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 15, 2022

They have already sent Cam Reddish to the New York Knicks in a trade.

It seems like the Hawks could be sellers.

Atlanta may already be regretting not drafting Luka Dončić.

Unfortunately, John Collins may be making his exit as well.

The Mavericks are considering trading for the Collins.

He and Trae Young just have not been a great one-two punch in Atlanta.

It sure has been a disappointing start to the 2021-22 season after a 41-31 regular season last year.

The 2021 playoffs were pretty impressive for the Hawks, as they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

However, they fell to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks.

Nate McMillan is back after assuming the head coaching duties midseason last year.

The former Hawks assistant coach needs to see improvement soon or he could be on the hot seat by season’s end.

McMillan has only lost more than 45 games twice in his long head coaching career.

The 2021-22 Hawks are on pace for a whopping 48 losses.

So, what are the top three reasons that the Hawks have regressed?

 

3. Their Defense Is Abominable

The Hawks have the second-best offense in the league, but they are the third-worst defensive squad this season.

Atlanta is among the worst 10 teams in 3-point percentage allowed (35.9 percent).

The team is allowing 54.2 percent effective field goal percentage, which ranks 26th in the league.

All of these defensive markers show that Atlanta could be in for a bad season.

A bright spot is that the Hawks are winning the free throw battle though:

  • Offense: attempting 21.5 free throws per game (ranked 12th in the NBA)
  • Defense: allowing 18.7 free throw attempts per game (third)

Maybe Young and the Hawks can build on this, but they have to prevent opposing offenses from shooting so well.

 

2. Trae Young Has Decreased Free Throw Attempts

While the Hawks are winning the free throw battle, it is in spite of a free throw regression from Young:

  • 2018-19: 5.1 free throw attempts per game (6.0 per 36 minutes)
  • 2019-20: 9.3 attempts (9.5)
  • 2020-21: 8.7 attempts (9.2)
  • 2021-22: 6.8 attempts (7.0)

This is unfortunate after Young led the NBA in free throw makes last season with 484.

His 225 makes this season rank fifth in the league, so it is not a huge downgrade.

Unfortunately, the NBA’s new foul rules for this season have affected Young in some ways.

He has had to take on a bigger burden this season though.

Young is on pace for a career-high usage rate, so we will have to see if he finishes with a career-high in points this season.

He is on pace to do so with 27.6 points per game with a career-high assist percentage of 47.7.

The ceiling though may not be as high for Young with the reduced free throw rate, which is on pace to be a career-low.

 

1. The Hawks May Not Have Enough Talent

Other than Young and Collins, the Hawks have a lot of role players who score just above 11 points per game:

  • Bogdan Bogdanović: 12.0 points per game
  • Cam Reddish (traded to New York): 11.9
  • Clint Capela: 11.8
  • De’Andre Hunter: 11.8
  • Kevin Huerter: 11.4

The Hawks may know what their situation is.

They may be folding early this season with Reddish already being sent elsewhere.

If Clint Capela’s ankle injury is a nagging one or he gets injured again, Atlanta’s depth will be almost gone.

He had a top-10 defensive rating last year, but he is not the same this year.

If the Hawks decide to move on from Collins, we will know for sure the team’s future plans: rebuilding.

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Filed Under: Atlanta Hawks Rumors And News (Updated Daily), NBA Tagged With: Atlanta Hawks

About Adam Lowenstein

Adam Lowenstein is a freelance sports journalist. He is also a dental resident at Tufts University. While completing his degrees, Adam wrote for numerous websites, covering various professional sports. Adam is a native of Massachusetts, and he attended Washington University in St. Louis when the St. Louis Rams were actually a thing. Adam recently completed his master's and doctorate degrees. In sports, Adam has spent the last couple of years covering the NBA, specifically the Boston Celtics.

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3 Reasons The Hawks Are Struggling

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