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Tiago Splitter: Helps Hawks More on Offense or Defense?

By John Buhler

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Tiago Splitter came to Atlanta this offseason from the San Antonio Spurs in the hopes of reuniting with former Spurs Assistant and current Atlanta Hawks HC Mike Budenholzer.

Tiago Splitter was a major offseason acquisition for the Atlanta Hawks.  It’s not really an under-the-radar signing for the Atlanta Hawks given that Splitter is the 74th best player in the NBA, according to Sports Illustrated.  However, I do not think that Atlanta Hawks fans truly understand how important it is getting a big man the caliber of Tiago Splitter.

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Splitter spent his first five NBA seasons playing for the always relevant San Antonio Spurs, winning the Western Conference twice and the 2013-14 NBA Championship playing in the Alamo City for the legendary HC Gregg Popovich.  Coach Bud was in San Antonio for Splitter’s first three years in the league and helped develop Tiago into a well-rounded front court asset any contending team would love to have.

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    • Though the loss of SF DeMarre Carroll is tough, bringing back PF Paul Millsap and introducing Tiago Splitter into the Atlanta front court mix should help get the Hawks back to the Eastern Conference Finals.  Getting to the ECF is a primary goal since it means that your team is a few lucky breaks away from playing in an NBA Championship.  With Tiago Splitter now prominently a member of the Atlanta Hawks, will he help the team more on the offensive or defensive side of the floor?

    Splitter averaged 19.8 MPG, 8.3 PPG, and 5.3 RPG in his five years with the Spurs.  He’s a career 56% shooter from the field and a 69% shooter from the charity stripe.  Don’t expect the 6’11” big man to take threes anytime soon (6 career 3-point attempts), but he will contribute both in distribution (1.3 APG) and in rim protection (0.6 BPG).

    So how is Splitter a Top 100 player in the NBA averaging these just okay numbers?  He makes his teammates better when he’s on the court.  His career offensive rating per 100 possessions is 116 and his career defensive rating is 101.  Splitter has averaged 2.7 Offensive Win Shares and 2.0 Defensive Win Shares in his five-year NBA career with the Spurs.

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    In the playoffs, Tiago Splitter boasts a career ORTG of 117, including an NBA best 136! during the Spurs title run in 2014.  His playoff defensive rating is still a fantastic 103, even after last year’s 107 mark.  The 3rd-6th seed matchup in the West last year between the Los Angeles Clippers and the San Antonio Spurs was WCF worthy in its own right.

    Essentially, Tiago Splitter is going to play as Sixth Man for the Atlanta Hawks, with he, Dennis Schroder, and likely Kent Bazemore as the first three Atlanta Hawks coming off the bench.  Mike Muscala and Tim Hardaway, Jr. should round out the Atlanta Hawks’ 10 man rotation.

    Tiago Splitter is a vast improvement over Pero Antic with the Atlanta Hawks and will probably take all of Bud’s minutes that went to Pero and then some for the Hawks in 2015-16.  Though he should drastically help the Atlanta Hawks in rim protection and defensive rebounding, upon further discovery I feel that the trade to get Tiago Splitter will help the team on offense more than defensively.

    We saw how poorly the team performed on the glass last season, finishing 22nd in defensive rebounding and dead last on the offensive glass.  Cleveland Cavaliers PF/C Tristan Thompson‘s play on the boards against the Hawks in the ECF was a primary reason Atlanta got swept in four games versus the Cavs.

    I know that Splitter can play within himself down low, allowing Paul Millsap, Al Horford, and even Mike Muscala to play stretch four and take outside attempts comfortably, knowing that Splitter can collect offensive rebounds.  Tiago is very familiar with how Bud runs his offense and has tremendous knowledge for a big man when it comes to floor spacing.

    The signing of Tiago Splitter gives the Atlanta Hawks six capable starters should Bud look to get creative with lineup construction this fall.  He could go ultra-big and have Millsap at the three, bringing Thabo Sefolosha off the bench as the sixth man.  Theoretically, Splitter, Millsap and Al Horford could thrive in a sixth man role given the depth of Atlanta’s front court.

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    There’s nothing wrong with being a Sixth Man.  Two of the league’s most explosive players Jamal Crawford and Manu Ginobili come off the bench for their respective teams.  Ginobili will go into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a terrific bench player.  Both Kevin McHale and Bill Walton did well in that role for the Boston Celtics in the 1980’s, as both legendary big man are forever enshrined in Springfield.

    Should Tiago Splitter stay healthy, I think that his move from San Antonio to Atlanta will do wonders for the Atlanta Hawks organization in so many ways.  I’m liking the idea of not finishing 30th in offensive rebounding in 2015-16.  Splitter will help in more ways than I can even scratch the surface at.  Let’s Go Hawks!

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