After a miserable start to the season, the Atlanta Hawks have been exciting as of late.
Unlike many of the rebuilding teams in the NBA, the Atlanta Hawks actually have a young foundation to build upon. While these guys are all having exciting seasons, here are some things they could work on as we move forward.
John Collins | Generating Blocks and Steals.
Yes, John Collins is having an amazing season averaging nearly 20 and 10. However, he only averages 0.3 Steals per game and 0.4 Blocks per game. Ideally, a player with his skill and athleticism should be averaging over one per game in both departments.
Trae Young | Shot Consistency
Trae Young had a miserable November shooting the ball after a hot start to the season. At one point his three point percentage dipped to an abysmal 23%. But since then he’s got it back up to 30%. That’s around the same clip as some of your favorite elite NBA Point Guards. But Trae can increase that number even more. He has the tendency to take harder threes than necessary at times from 30+ feet early in the shot clock. With his ability to drive and the team’s ability to move the ball well, these shots are often not needed.
Taurean Prince | Court Vison
I must start by giving Taurean credit. Since returning from injury he’s been more of a team player. But Prince has been making some of the same mistakes since his Rookie season. Often times, especially while driving, he’ll tend to put his head down and not find an open teammate. This can lead into a wild shot attempt resulting in a miss or turnover.
Kevin Huerter | Getting the Best Shot
Kevin Huerter is on the verge of becoming an elite shooter. But like his backcourt mate Trae Young, sometimes he settles for the harder shot. We’ve seen glimpses of his supreme playmaking and driving ability. I believe with increased confidence and repetition Huerter will become an elite all around offensive player.
DeAndre’ Bembry | Ball Handling
Sometimes DeAndre’ looks like me dribbling out there. I must credit that he’s usually trying to make the right play but he just doesn’t have the dribbling mechanics to always make it work. If he’s able to clean up his dribble, he can be an elite playmaker.
Omari Spellman | Weight Consistency
It’s no secret that Omari had a bad struggle with his weight a few months ago. The same was true while in college. But nobody can question his motor. Omari will be a special player in this league if he’s able to stay consistent with his body.
Phil Veasley | @_ATLPhil Twitter/IG | @ATLSportsHQ Twitter/IG
Be sure to tune into GameTime Radio Sunday Evenings at 6PM to hear E-Dub, Bob and myself discuss all things sports! GameTime Radio can be heard live in Atlanta on 1100 AM, on Facebook Live, iHeartRadio or TuneIn. Also available OnDemand in the iTunes Podcasts App.
