Atlanta Hawks: Who Is The X-Factor In 2014-15?

The Atlanta Hawks are heading into a very exciting season for their franchise after an impressive 2013-14 campaign that ended in Game 7 against the No. 1-seeded Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They will be welcoming big man Al Horford back to the lineup, and will have another year of experience under head coach Mike Budenholzer. Atlanta may not be a championship contender, but the Hawks do have a chance to be a fifth seed or possibly a bit higher in the conference if they play up to their potential.

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There are plenty of talented players on the Hawks’ roster this season, and it’s hard to decide who their X-factor will be. It will be very intriguing to see how rookie forward Adreian Payne is used this season, but he might not have a consistent role from the get go. With that being said, which player will come through as the Hawks’ X-factor this coming season?

DeMarre Carroll is going to be the main X-factor for the Hawks this season, and he is one of the major keys for them being a contender in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks need him to defend against opposing perimeter scorers, and they’ll also need him to provide an offensive spark. He showed last season that he could do both of those things to some degree, but he will have to make some major improvements to be the player that Atlanta needs him to be this year.

Carroll ended up playing in and starting 73 regular season games last year with the Hawks, averaging 11.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. Those numbers show how valuable he was to the team last year, but his energy and hard work rubbed off on the team as well. Without him on the roster, the Hawks might not have even been in the race for the playoffs.

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As you can see by the above chart, Carroll was a solid shooter from behind the 3-point arc and he was much better at getting to the rim than mid-range. He will need to work on his mid-range game in order to take the next step on the offensive end of the floor, but he simply needs to focus on playing hard nosed defense in order to fulfill the role that Atlanta really needs out of him.

At just 28 years of age, Carroll is entering his prime and will need to put everything together this season. He isn’t too far away from reaching his full potential, but getting more playing time and the offseason of work he just put in will help him get there. Atlanta’s system is a perfect fit for him, and he has every opportunity to put together the best season that he has had in his entire career this year.

He won’t be expected to put up 20 or more points per game, but he will need to put up around 11-12 points and play solid defense all game long. Atlanta won’t be one of the NBA’s best defensive teams this year, but they might have one of the better perimeter defenders in the game. Having veteran defender Thabo Sefolosha helping to mentor him will be big as well.

It’s going to be a very fun season for the Hawks and their fans, and it could end in the best finish that the Hawks have seen in quite some time. They have plenty of talent to make a run, but Carroll is the player that they need to have step up the most. If he isn’t able to play to the potential that they need him to, they are going to be in a world of hurt.

All of that being said, this season is going to be something very special for Carroll. He has the potential to take another massive step forward in his career, and he has worked hard to get to that point. Don’t be surprised to see Carroll put together a big season, and be that X-Factor that the Hawks need him to be this season.

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