Atlanta Hawks: 4 Observations from Week 1

Oct 29, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard

(24) drives to the basket defended by New York Knicks guard

(18) during the second half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden. The Hawks defeated the Knicks 112-101. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

KENT BAZEMORE IS FLOURISHING AS A STARTER

Kent Bazemore stepped into the Atlanta Hawks’ starting lineup last week as DeMarre Carroll’s replacement. With Thabo Sefolosha still not 100 percent following his injury from late last season, Bazemore has stepped in and performed admirably. So far this season, Bazemore is averaging 11.0 PPG while shooting 44.1 percent from the floor. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that Kent Bazemore has been the Atlanta Hawks best three-point shooter thus far into the season, shooting 55 percent from beyond the arc.

Of course, 55 percent from beyond the three-point line is not sustainable over the course of an 82 game season (Kyle Korver came close last season, and he shot a little north of 49 percent in 2014-2015), but it’s encouraging to see Kent Bazemore seamlessly slide into the starting lineup and become a legitimate 3-point threat. In the Atlanta Hawks’ last two game against the Charlotte Hornets, Bazemore scored 19 and 20 points, respectively, while also sinking 4 three-pointers on Friday and two on Sunday.

Defensively, Bazemore does not have the size to contend with larger SF’s in the league, but the former Collegiate Defensive Player of the Year makes up for it with defensive intensity and length. Bazemore has been a great surprise for Atlanta Hawks fans thus far.

Next: Sloppy Play