The Atlanta Hawks were one of the surprise teams in the NBA last season. They finished with a regular season record of 60-22 and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. There the inexperienced Hawks were promptly swept by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite their run last season, few preseason predictions gave the Hawks much of a chance to overtake Cleveland for the Eastern Conference title. While it’s still early in the season, Atlanta looks to have picked up right where they left off.
During a stretch earlier this month, Atlanta won five games in seven days including a back-to-back against Charlotte. The Hawks have been as tough at home as on the road. They’re winning with solid defense and some surprise scoring. Even with a two game losing streak (as of November 15th), the Hawks are still 8-4 and on top of their division.
Teague Gets the Point
Point guard Jeff Teague may be the most valuable player on the Hawks right now. He’s been playing at an all-star level and providing leadership on both ends of the court. The six year veteran is averaging 18 points per game (well above his 11 points per game career average) and has been effectively distributing the ball. He’s not as flashy as most of his contemporaries around the league, but it’s hard to argue any PG has been more important to his team.
It all started with Teague buying into his coaching system. Trust — for lack of a better word — is what was needed to make it work. And Teague has fully bought in.
“That’s what we do,” Teague says. “That’s who we are. Everybody touches the ball, nobody dances with it, and even if you’ve got a layup, you give it to Kyle Korver.”
Bazemore Giving Them More
A guy who is supposed to come off the bench to provide a defensive spark has all the sudden become a pretty good offensive player. Small forward Kent Bazemore has been providing quality minutes and making surprising offensive contributions. The fifth year player from Old Dominion has a reputation for playing stingy defense, but not much had been expected of him offensively. Last year he averaged 5.2 points per game for the Hawks which is right in line with his career average.
Bazemore has approached this season like a completely different player. He’s looking for, and finding, his shots in the Hawks offensive sets. Granted he’s getting more minutes this season than in ever before … but it’s his new found offensive prowess that driving the extra time on the court not vice versa. Coach Mike Budenholzer is one of Bazemore’s biggest supporters.
“I think he is getting a lot of good rhythm shots,” Budenholzer said. “He’s getting opportunities with the bigs and Jeff (Teague) and Dennis (Schroder) attacking. We were creating a lot of pressure on the paint, a lot of pressure on the rim. He can do that too. The great thing, obviously he’s making shots, but he can attack and break a defense down and finish also.”
Among his early season highlights include 20 points in a win against Charlotte on November 1st and 25 points against Washington in a win on November 7th. He’s not the Hawks first option on offense, but that makes his contributions that much more important. A lot of guys in the league tend to get “lost” when they know they are not the team’s go to guy for a bucket. Bazemore continues to work hard and be feisty on offense.
The Hawks have both the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers to contend with in the Eastern Conference. The Heat will fight to keep up with Atlanta in the division and the Cavs continue to be the favorites to come out of the conference. But Atlanta has turned some early heads and should be making some people rethink their preseason picks.