The Atlanta Hawks were one of the biggest surprises in the NBA last season. After a dismal start, they fired head coach Lloyd Pierce at the beginning of March, replacing him with interim coach Nate McMillan. They also got healthy all at the same time and went on a torrid run to close the season.
They won’t catch anybody by surprise this season, but they won’t need to either. This is a legitimately good team with great depth and top-end talent, led by their star Trae Young.
But just how are they going to break down statistically in 2021-22? We’ll take a look into the crystal ball and attempt to project the statistical output for the following categories: Scoring, rebounds, assists, stocks (steals plus blocks), 2-point shooting, 3-point shooting and free-throw shooting.
We’ll lead off with the obvious one, starting with scoring.
Atlanta Hawks statistical leaders – Scoring: Trae Young
Predicted average: 27.0
Trae Young is the head of the beast for the Hawks on the offensive end, scoring 25.3 points per game. He did plenty of his damage from inside the arc and at the free-throw line as his 3-point rate dwindled to the lowest of his career (35.7 percent), but his free-throw rate skyrocketed to 49.1 percent.
With the NBA tightening up on shooting fouls in ways that may impact how often he can get to the line, it’s important to remember that his offense was more than mere foul-drawing grift. He can score in a variety of ways around the basket, is a well-above average mid-range shooter, and he’s deadly from behind the arc.
He’ll be one of the best scorers in the league yet again this season.