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Atlanta Hawks: More Free-Throws Per Game in 2015-2016?

By Jonathan Savitske

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The Atlanta Hawks have won their first two preseason games leading up to the 2015-2016 season.

Last year, a balanced offensive attack and unselfish play led the Atlanta Hawks to the top of the Eastern Conference with a 60-22 record. The Hawks did not have a single player average over 17 points per game, displaying a balance across the board between all five starters.

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The Atlanta Hawks also ranked second in the NBA last season in assists, averaging 25.7 dimes per contest. The Hawks also were one of the best three-point shooting teams in the league, second to only the Golden State Warriors at 38.1 percent per game.

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Despite all this balance on the offensive end, there was one area in which the Atlanta Hawks was deficient in the 2014-2015 season — getting to the free-throw line. Out of the 30 NBA teams, the Atlanta Hawks ranked 24th with only 21.2 free-throw attempts per day. The Hawks inability to get to the line spelled defeat in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, as the Cavs were able to get easy points from free-throws throughout the series.

Perhaps one of the reasons that the Atlanta Hawks were unable to get to the free-throw line often last season is because of their lack of a perceived superstar. Players like Lebron James, Stephen Curry and Anthony Davis get a lot of foul calls —  a product of their superstardom. Though four of the five Atlanta Hawks’ starters were All-Stars last season, none of them are perceived as a superstar player.

Another component in the Atlanta Hawks lack of free-throw attempts last year can also be attributed to their love of shooting the ball. When the offense is predicated on getting an outside shot, there is not much of a chance to get into the paint and to draw contact.

Through the first two games of the preseason though, the Atlanta Hawks have shot 30 and 36 free throw attempts against Cleveland and New Orleans, averaging 33 attempts per contest. Granted, two preseason games are a small sample size; but still, these numbers would seem to suggest that the Atlanta Hawks offense is trending towards getting to the line more and working inside.

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This makes sense given the acquisition of C Tiago Splitter this offseason and their frontcourt depth coming off the bench. With bigger bodies in the lineup, the Atlanta Hawks’ offense will shift from a shooting team to a squad that pounds the ball inside. This provides even more balance to the offense, and is advantageous when playing other teams — like the Cavs — that tend to get to the free-throw line often.

If the Atlanta Hawks can get to the free-throw line 24-26 times per game, the offense will become even more potent. Though this paradigm shift may concern some fans, Mike Budenholzer’s spread offense will not change. Drawing more contact and getting to the line merely adds another component to the Atlanta Hawks’ offense.

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