March Madness

The Atlanta Hawks went 13-2 in the month of March, standing at the fifth seed. For the first time since the 1996-97, the team has won 13 straight games at State Farm Arena, with their last loss coming on February 20th (via Hawks PR). What has made this run so special is that various players have shined, from Onyeka Okongwu and Jonathan Kuminga in their win on March 1 over the Portland Trail Blazers to Nickeil Alexander-Walker who had a career-high in the win over the Orlando Magic on March 16 to Jalen Johnson and CJ McCollum in the win over the Detroit Pistons on March 25. After their win over the Magic, Onyeka Okongwu mentioned how it can be anyone’s game against any opponent, “On any given night, Nickeil can have his big game tonight, another night Jalen, another night CJ or me, Dyson (Daniels). We’re finally gelling, we’re finally playing better basketball, playing together, playing for one another. It’s beautiful to see.” 
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The name of the game has largely been defense, and that all starts with the 2024-25 Most Improved Player, Dyson Daniels, along with his new teammate (up-for-consideration for 2026 Most Improved Player) Nickeil Alexander-Walker. With the addition of players like Jonathan Kuminga, Jock Landale and Gabe Vincent to an already present second unit pressure, Zaccharie Risacher’s move to the bench Atlanta is setting a tone and identity based in defense. In the month of March, the Hawks held opponents to an average of 110.1 points per game. There were 25 teams in the league (not including Atlanta) who averaged more than that for the month, including seven of the teams Atlanta beat.


Since February 24, Dyson has been shooting 30.8% from three (8/26), up from the (10/80) 12.5% he had shot from three from the beginning of the season until February 22. It has been a collective effort to try to get Dyson back to his comfort level of shooting from beyond the arc, as he shot 34% last season, with his teammates and coaches constantly encouraging him. Perimeter shooting aside, Dyson continues to be one of the most integral pieces of this team, as he does a bit of everything.


Jalen finished the month with two triple-doubles, five double-doubles, and some near triple-doubles sprinkled in there. Nickeil averaged 22.7 points. He’s the first player since Kawhi Leonard (January 2024) to finish a month averaging 20 or more points on .500/.400/.900 shooting splits (min. 15 GP) and the first Hawk in franchise history to do so (per Hawks PR).