Five Takeaways from Thunder Win Over Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks have been plagued by internal turmoil since at least Friday. Before Monday night's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Hawks coach Nate McMillan made it clear he was ready to move on.
After a hot start to the game, Atlanta blew another double-digit lead in a disappointing home loss. So the pressure inside Atlanta's locker room continues to mount. Below are our five biggest takeaways.
Trae Young
Trae Young is getting broadsided with criticism from Atlantans for the first time in his professional career. Local media and fans have always had Young's back, but after his recent disagreement with Nate McMillan, Young's leadership and play style is being questioned for the first time.
Last night's performance did not help Young's case. Sure, he finished with 23 points and ten assists. However, Young shot 1-7 from three; his season average is down to 29.6%. A shooter can't break out of his or her slump by not shooting. But it's getting painful to watch Young struggle from outside.
Starting Lineup
De'Andre Hunter and John Collins are still rehabilitating from minor injuries. So, AJ Griffin and Jalen Johnson are filling in the starting lineup for the mentors. While the rookie and second-year player have played well this season, they struggled last night.
Griffin's shot was not falling, and he struggled to guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Johnson did not fare much better.
Bench
Coach McMillan has had to reshuffle his usual nine-man rotation. The reserves played well in Friday night's upset win over the Denver Nuggets. However, that is proving to be a one-off event.
Onyeka Okongwu performed well against the undersized Thunder, and Bogdan Bogdanovic had a great first half. However, Jarrett Culver and Vit Krejci looked like back-bench guys who were playing far too many minutes.
Turnovers
For all of Atlanta's problems, they do a great job of limiting turnovers. That was not the case last night. Atlanta turned the ball over 18 times, and Oklahoma City turned that into 19 points.
Dejounte Murray and Trae Young had three and four turnovers, respectively. Inexplicably, Clint Capela turned the ball over four times. With such poor shooting, you can't afford to lose out on that many possessions.
Bogdan Bogdanovic
One player who isn't a poor shooter is Bogdan Bogdanovic. The veteran shooting guard is still clearly getting his legs under him. However, Bogdanovic hit 5-10 three-pointers last night, providing a much-needed spark off the bench.
