The last nine games have been something. The team finally got healthy but it wasn’t until they were well into their West Coast trip. The Hawks went 3-6 these last nine games but the win versus the Washington Wizards was the most convincing to me. It was a game they were “supposed” to win and they did so in a pretty commanding and consistent way when they outscored the team 30-11 in the second quarter. The same problems showed briefly with a first quarter plagued by efficient shooting from the perimeter for Washington (6/11) and over 50% from the field. But the response from Atlanta is what won them that game, scoring 12 points off of Washington’s seven second quarter turnovers while holding them to 11 points. 

The win in Boston over the Celtics for the first Emirates NBA Cup game for Atlanta was the most impressive to me. Hawks were down Trae Young in addition to De’Andre Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kobe Bufkin, Vit Krejci, Seth Lundy, and Mo Gueye. It was a game where we saw Dyson Daniels score a career-high 28 points on 12/21 shooting while Jalen Johnson recorded a triple-double with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. A game where Larry Nance Jr. added 19 points off the bench, hitting five threes and going 7/10 from the field. This game exemplified the “next man up” mentality we so often hear players and coaches alike reference.

On to the losses, unfortunately. Much of what I said in the first post still reigns true. While there is obviously a positive impact on the defensive side with the addition of Dyson Daniels, Atlanta as a team still struggle with defending the perimeter. They lead the league in opponent three-point field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot 39.9% against them. Teams also attempt a league-high 41.7 threes when facing the Hawks. Many of their problems still stem from the same issues such as transition defense and second chance points. When the offense isn’t clicking, as it sometimes hasn’t, being beat on the fast break after missing out on an offensive board is a small detail that cannot happen as a team. You want to control the pace of the game. 
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While I do think much of the Hawks’ woes lie in inexperience and unfamiliarity (there are some fairly young and new guys on the team now), they have to continue to come together and communicate actively and consistently on the defensive end but also be willing to take heed to each other’s observations. Opponents have scored 12 or more points off of turnovers in all games against Atlanta this year, with the most scored being 32 points twice. Hawks are 23rd in the league in turnovers per game and total turnovers, averaging 15.9 of them. If they can clean up a couple of these issues, it’ll help in the long run.

The Atlanta Hawks have had quite a rollercoaster of a start to the NBA season. They've been without up to eight of their current roster at one point, with five of those eight being regular rotation players and three of those five being players who have started. Despite the adversity, they've managed to compete in many of their contests but oftentimes found themselves faced with yester-season's missteps. Missteps such as not guarding perimeter shooters or closing out on said shooters, not effectively communicating on defense/switches (see point 1), and deferring on shots/matchups they should take advantage of (i.e. being too passive or unselfish) amongst other things.

It is easy to blame injuries as the primary reason the team is in this position, but we do still want to look at what the team is capable of in spite of who is or isn't available. It's always a "next man up" mentality with the Hawks and recently, players have been showing they have it in them to be just that. To note, Keaton Wallace has been coming off the bench to relieve Trae Young of point guard duties and he's been stepping up in a big way. Keaton's defensive efforts and smart plays have helped Atlanta in a major way. 

As of nine games into the season, Jalen Johnson (320 minutes) and Trae Young (323) are respectively first and third in the NBA in total minutes played for the season. If Trae hadn't left the game against Boston due to an injury, he would probably still be in the top two with his teammate Jalen.  

Dyson Daniels is an absolute dawg on defense. He has been a joy to watch and elevates the team's defense in every possible way. The way he recovers fighting through screens, the way he closes out, the way he annoys whomever he's guarding to the point of frustration - all of these cannot be overstated. 

Watching Zaccharie Risacher improve in real time is so very cool to witness. Seeing him work with assistant coach Ryan Schmidt on one thing following practice or even during warmups and then seeing him actually do what he was shown during the next game has been inspirational to say the least. Not diminishing how any other players work but watching Zacch, you can really tell he is dedicated to being better at every point. Will he still make mistakes? Of course. But he's extremely serious about his craft and that's great to see from a 19 year-old. 

Some fun facts through nine games via Hawks PR:

1. Rookie Zaccharie Risacher had a career night in the win on 11/6, posting 33 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three steals. Risacher became the 10th rookie since at least 1973-74 to post those minimums in a single game (done 15 times) and the first to do so since the 1994 NBA Rookie of the Year Chris Webber (3/13/94). He netted his 33 points - the most points scored by a rookie this season - on 11-18 FGM and 6-10 3FGM, the only player of the 10 to record that stat line.
2. Jalen Johnson tallied his seventh career outing with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists on 11/6, tied with John Drew for the third-most such games in franchise history by any player 23-years-or-younger. He registered 23 points on 10-18 shooting from the field, a team-high 15 boards, seven assists and one block.
3. ​Trae Young is coming off of his 162nd career outing with 20-or-more points and 10-or-more assists on 11/6, handing out a game-high 10 dimes, to go along with 23 points, six rebounds and two steals in 35 minutes. Young's 162 career 20+ points, 10+ assist outings are tied with Steve Nash for the 11th-most in NBA history.
4. Dyson Daniels has swiped 17 steals this season, tied for the second-most total steals in the NBA ... Daniels, who also has five blocks on the season, is the first Hawk since Paul Millsap (2015-16) to tally 15+ steals and 5+ blocks within his first seven games of a season.
5. Clint Capela enters Friday's game leading the NBA in FG% (.736%). He is also shooting a career-best .786 FT%, the only player in the NBA shooting .700%-or-better from the field and FT line.