Three Questions For the Atlanta Hawks For The Rest of the Season
Tomorrow, the NBA regular season resumes and the playoff push goes to another level for the teams in the running.
For the Hawks, they are hoping to at worst make the NBA Play-In Tournament and in their wildest dreams, find a way to get into the top six. It is unlikely, but it is not completely out of reach for Atlanta.
It is not just the playoff (or play-in) push that will be going on for the Hawks. Atlanta has been rumored as a team that might make big changes this summer (or even just smaller changes) and how this team plays over the final 27 games will likely determine what happens this summer.
So what are the biggest questions facing the Hawks after the All-Star Break?
1. Can this team make a move up the standings?
Most will roll their eyes at this notion because of how inconsistent the Hawks have been, but it is worth discussing.
Atlanta is in 10th place right now in the Eastern Conference They are 2 games behind the Bulls for 9th, 6 games behind Orlando for 9th, 6 games behind Miami for 7th, and 6.5 games behind the Pacers for 6th. They have already lost the tiebreaker to Chicago and Indiana, which will complicate their move up.
It would take the Hawks hitting another gear for this to happen and nothing about how they have played this season suggests they will be able to move that far up the standings. It would probably take a record of 18-9 or 19-8 the rest of the way to move up the standings, as well as having the Pacers, Heat, Magic, and Bulls not play well the rest of the way.
If the Hawks can't make a move up the standings, it will likely result in a quick exit from either the play-in tournament or the playoffs. Being stuck in the 9 and 10 spots means you would have to win two games just to get in the playoffs and even if you win those games, your reward will be facing the Boston Celtics. Facing the Celtics means a very fast exit for the Hawks.
One thing that could work in the Hawks's favor is that they might be getting healthy. They have not had their top eight guys healthy for most of this season and if they can stay healthy over the last part of the season, that could help them move up the standings over the next 27 games.
2. Could Onyeka Okongwu Remain as the Starter at Center?
Clint Capela was injured at the beginning of the month and that gave Onyeka Okongwu an opportunity to start until Capela came back. Capela has played below the level of his last few seasons and this was a perfect chance for Okongwu to play well and show he is the future for the Hawks at the position.
Okongwu played well over the past six games, averaging 17 PPG and 10 RPG, and getting a double-double in three of those games. He injured his toe right before the All-Star break and did not play in the final game against Charlotte. His status has not been updated since so keep an eye on that, but if the Hawks want their best five on the floor, I would argue that includes Okongwu.
3. What will De'Andre Hunter's role be for the rest of the season?
Since coming back from an injury, Hunter has come off of the bench for the Hawks and had some of his best games of the season. After only playing around 16-18 minutes for the first few games, he has ramped up his minutes and has scored 20 points in three of the last five games. He is shooting very well from three and playing good on defense. One would assume he would slide back into the starting lineup (and he might), but it might be interesting for head coach Quin Snyder to look at bringing Hunter off the bench for the rest of the season.
Now, I am not advocating for this, but Hunter has played really well since coming back from his injury and it is something worth considering. The Hawks could use a starting lineup of Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, Saddiq Bey, Jalen Johnson, and Okongwu for the rest of the year and bring Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Clint Capela off the bench. Hunter is one of the most important players on the Hawks for the versatility he brings so he might be too valuable to keep on the bench, but he has played well in those situations.
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