Atlanta Hawks: 5 goals for the 2018 offseason
By Mason McFee
3. Increase attendance
It may seem counterintuitive to say that the Hawks should trade their first round selection to a much better off team in the Houston Rockets in order to increase attendance, but sometimes a sure thing is better than what could become a sure thing.
As mentioned earlier, Clint Capela is just 23 years old. He is most certainly not in his prime, but he has already shown he is one of the most efficient players this league has to offer. His true shooting percentage of 65.0 was sixth-best in the league this past season, and his effective field goal percentage of 65.2 was the best in the league. No player (including centers, who typically have higher shooting percentages since most of their field goals come in the paint and/or near the rim) on the Hawks roster this past season even came close to those numbers, of those that attempted five or more field goals a game.
The progress of young rookies is exciting to watch from afar, but it takes time and it certainly doesn’t put butts in the seats. Phillips Arena was about as full as Chris Paul’s conference finals appearances trophy case this past season, with the Hawks ranking dead last in average fan attendance.
One surefire way to jump a few spots in those rankings would be to put out a lineup fans could be excited about. It’s just ironic that one of the Hawks’ primary colors is called “volt green,” because they could really use a jolt to their near-lifeless franchise.