Hawks Showcase New Year’s Hangover in Washington

Atlanta rung in the new year with a 114-98 loss to the Washington Wizards without All-Star point guard, John Wall.

THREE OBSERVATIONS

1. Poor Finish

Resiliency has been a calling card for this Atlanta Hawks team all season. Tonight it showed again, as the Hawks closed a 14-point deficit three minutes into the third quarter into a tied game halfway through the fourth.

Yet, after that comeback Atlanta put up a stinker the rest of the way. Washington closed out on a 20-4 run to end the game and seal a victory.

In the fourth quarter, Atlanta shot 6/21 from the field (0/3 on three-pointers), had two assists compared to four turnovers and scored a grand total of 14 points.

Closing out games, especially on the road, is a tough ask for a young team, but with the Hawks looking like they had begun to turn a corner at the close of 2018 this first game of the new year was definitely a setback.

2. Trae Young In & Out

Trae Young finished the game playing just a shade under 28 minutes. He averages 29.4 minutes per game (excluding tonight) for the year so the total number wasn’t too far off. Yet, it seemed that head coach, Lloyd Pierce gave the rookie point guard less of a rope in this game.

With Jeremy Lin turning his play around after a putrid start—and Lin and Pierce having a previous relationship—it’s easy to see why the first-year coach might turn to the veteran in lieu of a turnover-happy or inconsistent-defender that Young has shown to be at times. But tonight it seemed as if Pierce had a quick trigger for Young.

Young was pulled with five minutes left to play and the Hawks trailing by 8. Young would never re-enter the game.

Now, to Pierce’s credit, the game was out of hand quickly after that substitution, and there have been times when Young will come out late in the final quarter for a quick minute or so rest. It just seemed that this game was one where he should’ve just let Young finish regardless of rotation or substitution pattern.

3. Heavy Huerter

Speaking of rotations, the Hawks other rookie guard, Kevin Huerter, played FORTY-FOUR MINUTES! Given, Atlanta’s wing depth is nonexistent at the moment with Kent Bazemore and Taurean Prince both out with ankle injuries, but having Huerter play 10 minutes less than what Young and John Collins play combined is a little out there.

Huerter has definitely earned his way into Pierce’s good graces—rising from end of the rotation to starter in just a few months. It wasn’t for a lack of trying on Pierce’s end. He played Daniel Hamilton 21 minutes and DeAndre’ Bembry 25 minutes, but in the end Huerter was the player he trusted most and he got the bulk of the minutes (Huerter played 39 minutes in the first full game with Bazemore and Prince sidelined).

He didn’t really shoot well (5/14 from the floor and 1/7 on three-pointers) so I doubt we see his minutes go this high again in the near future; unless Pierce’s band is forced again.

TWO QUESTIONS

1. When does the first win of the new year come?

As I mentioned in the Pacers recap post, January is not going to be a kind month to the Hawks. Of their remaining 13 games, 12 are against teams currently in the hunt for the playoffs. This game against the Wizards is their easiest game on paper until they face the Chicago Bulls on January 23.

Before that, a meeting with the Miami Heat at home on Sunday is the only other game against an opponent that they have previously beat. The Heat are without Goran Dragic still, but they are definitely making the right strides as they attempt to get into the postseason again.

If the Hawks aren’t able to get another win over Miami it could be a long wait–and another extended losing streak–until the first win of 2019 is put on the board in Atlanta.

2. Do the Hawks need to tank?

In a perfect world, Zion Williamson would be wearing an Atlanta Hawks uniform next season and create Travis Schlenk’s version of the Fantastic Four alongside Collins, Huerter, and Young. However, we sadly don’t live in a perfect world. Williamson is definitely the crown jewel of the 2019 NBA Draft class and with small-ball taking over, a frontline of Williamson and Collins has the makings of something dominant for years to come.

As it stands, the Hawks currently have the fifth worst record in the NBA. With the changes to the NBA Draft lottery odds coming into play this year, that means Atlanta would have 10.5 percent chance at landing any of the picks from one through four and a 26.7 percent chance (their highest odds) of landing the seventh overall pick. That’s not getting you Zion. While the worst pick no longer has the best odds–the three worst teams all have an equal 14 percent shot at the top pick–it wouldn’t hurt Atlanta to improve their odds by falling down a slot or two.

But, that doesn’t mean this team has to “tank.” As the previous blurb notes, the Hawks have a grueling schedule facing them this month. Even if they played their A-plus game it would be unlikely that they finished with a record above .500 for January. Not to bash this group too hard, but I don’t think Lloyd Pierce is going to need to pull any tricks to keep this team in the hunt for one of the worst records in the league.

ONE PREDICTION

1. John Collins Has Another Double-Double Streak Coming

John Collins finished with 21 points (making four out of his five three-point attempts) and eight rebounds against the Wizards. In his last 14 games, Collins has had 12 double-doubles—including two stretches of 6 consecutive games with one.

Collins has been the Hawks best player since returning from his 15-game absence to begin the year. Getting the second year big man back has revamped this Atlanta team entirely. It’s been well discussed that the Hawks don’t run plays for Collins, but his sheer energy and will allow him to make a profound impact on the game whenever he’s on the floor.

As long as he remains healthy—he’s currently dealing with flu like symptoms, but was able to play through it yesterday—he will be back to his double-double ways shortly.

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