Getty Images
The Atlanta Hawks came into the 2014-15 NBA regular season as an up and coming team with high hopes. Although the team made no substantial moves in the offseason, Atlanta hoped that Al Horford‘s return from injury would be enough to facilitate a deeper push in the playoffs. The Hawks’ biggest move occurred when they elected to move capable sixth man Lou Williams for nearly nothing. Although the season ended on a sour note as the Cleveland Cavaliers took four, mostly non-competitive games in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Hawks should be proud of the progress the team made over the course of the season.
In Mike Budenholzer‘s second year at the helm in Atlanta, the Hawks’ philosophy became extremely clear. Atlanta was a team with a ton of versatile weapons offensively, highlighted by a plethora of long-range shooters on the roster. Budenholzer’s offense, sometimes eerily similar to the San Antonio Spurs‘ scheme, used passing and spacing better than most teams in the league. In the regular season, the Hawks trailed only the Golden State Warriors in assist ratio at 19.7 percent. Atlanta moved the ball efficiently and effectively, leading to open shots and the sixth-best offense in the NBA.
This offensive prowess was facilitated by Atlanta’s most unlikely All-Star, Kyle Korver. Korver produced an historical line in the regular season, shooting 6.0 threes per game and making 2.9 of those attempts. Over the course of the regular season, Korver produced the fourth-highest true shooting percentage ever, an inconceivable 69.87 percent, and much of Atlanta’s offense was predicated around Korver’s shooting skills. When Korver was on the court, space opened up for his teammates to slash and and create for others while Korver’s defender remained extremely reluctant to help off of the sharpshooter. During the regular season, there was a 14.0 surplus in Atlanta’s net rating when Korver was on the floor versus when he was on the bench, a true testament to his value for Atlanta’s offense.
In the end, the Hawks gained valuable experience in this year’s NBA playoffs. Sometimes, when the Hawks went through tough stretches, Atlanta drifted away from what made the team so successful. The ball seemed to stick for larger stretches than ever before, and it also did not help that the Hawks missed an abundance of open shots, something that was a rare occurrence in the regular season. With this being said, if the team can re-sign both DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap and add a capable shot-blocker, Atlanta will have a strong chance to make an even deeper run in next year’s playoffs.
Nicholas Sciria is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Nick_Sciria, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
