Anyone looking to do some Atlanta Hawks analysis to try and establish the secret behind the team’s outstanding recent play could come up with a variety of different possibilities. In fact, it’s a testament to how good all-around that this Hawks squad is with it being so hard to pinpoint one specific aspect of their play that has helped to push them to the next level.
First, there’s the Hawks’ outstanding ball movement and unselfish extra passes. As a team, Atlanta is always looking for a great shot over a good one, and as a result the Hawks are one of the league’s most willing passing teams. Having spent the whole season around the top of the league’s assists per game rankings, the Hawks are currently third with 25.1 assists per game.
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Another undoubted factor in Atlanta’s great play is their shooting ability, particularly from deep. The Hawks take the seventh most three point attempts in the association, and yet they are ranked fifth in three-point percentage at 37.6. That is in no small part due to Kyle Korver‘s 51 percent shooting from deep, but with most Hawks players capable of firing from range, it’s not just him either.
Overall though, the Hawks are one of the NBA’s greatest two-way teams. The two features of their play that have been mentioned above help to give them an offensive rating of 105.7, the seventh best in the league. It’s the other end where Atlanta has really improved though, and ranking fifth in defensive rating at 100.2 is very significant.
Indeed, it’s on that end of the floor too where we find another potential reason for Atlanta’s improvements, and one that hasn’t maybe got the sort of focus that it merits. On both ends of the floor, Atlanta are a constant blur of movement and activity, yet defensively Atlanta’s active hands have really started to pay off.
Last night the Hawks extended their winning streak against the Western Conference to nine straight games with a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Perhaps the most notable aspect of it was just how active and smothering Atlanta’s defense was, though. The Hawks had 17 steals, a Philips Arena record, and an example of their recent defensive focus reaping rewards.
Post-game, Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer highlighted to Chris Vivlamore of the AJC just how he felt that defensive effort was a determining factor in his team’s victory:
"“I think the defense, one of our principles without fouling, we showed our hands, we did a lot of things. (Marc) Gasol hit some unbelievable shots. The individual defense by both Al (Horford) and Pero (Antic) on Gasol was to be commended. The overall activity in the first half defensively, the turnovers, the steals, again created opportunities for us offensively. We just want to keep building off that defensive mindset.”"
The fact that he mentions the team showing their hands as “one of our principles” is significant too. It hasn’t gone unnoticed by some of the NBA’s brightest minds either. Only the night before, Grantland’s Zach Lowe had tweeted his own thoughts on Atlanta’s defense:
One thing I like at about ATL's D: very active hands, and not just for steals. High in the passing lanes. Makes everything a bit tougher.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) January 6, 2015
With the Hawks averaging nine steals per game, good enough for sixth in the league, their defense is a balanced effort. That includes the team having two players in the league’s top ten for steals. Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague rank seventh and ninth respectively, with averages of 1.9 and 1.8 steals to their name.
In other words, Atlanta’s activity in the passing lanes is just another way in which they can hurt the opposition, and with the Hawks excelling as a unit on both offense and defense, it’s hard to see just how they can be stopped.