Atlanta Hawks: Defense Keying Early Season Success

The Atlanta Hawks won a tightly contested game against their Southeast Division rival, the Washington Wizards, on Saturday at Philips Arena.

Saturday’s contest against the Wizards was a back and forth affair until midway into the fourth quarter. The Atlanta Hawks finished the game on a 26-9 run, capping off a 114-99 victory over a team that many thought would best the Atlanta Hawks in the Southeast Division race and contend in the Eastern Conference. This was the second game against a Southeast Division opponent that was thought as a better team than the Atlanta Hawks going into the season.

The Atlanta Hawks’ 26-9 run to end the game showed brilliant ball-movement and excellent jump-shooting: all staples of Mike Budenholzer’s offensive scheme. What doesn’t show up in the box score is how the Hawks’ defense was the catalyst for igniting their late game run to secure the victory.

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On the night, the Atlanta Hawks recorded 13 steals and 4 blocked shots, which in turn made the Wizards turn the ball over an astounding 25 times during the game, including 15 turnovers on the part of John Wall and Bradley Beal. Jeff Teague‘s defensive pressure produced 5 steals during the game, while Paul Millsap, Dennis Schroder and Kent Bazemore all added 2 steals a piece. Saturday’s game against Washington was a case study of how defense is the primary reason as to why the Atlanta Hawks have once again started hot out of the gate, and why their 7-game winning streak is still intact.

Active hands on the defensive end of the court allow the Atlanta Hawks to create points out of turnovers. Currently, Paul Millsap is 6th in the league with 2.4 steals per game, while Kent Bazemore is also in the Top 30 in steals with a little under 2 per game. On Friday at New Orleans, the Atlanta Hawks stole the ball 10 times; and though they had difficulty closing the game out, especially against a star like Anthony Davis, the defense held at the end of the game. Active hands lead to transition baskets, and the Atlanta Hawks thrive in transition.

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The Atlanta Hawks are 10th in the league in total defense, allowing 98.3 PPG to their opponents, while limiting teams to under 43 percent shooting from the field, right behind the NBA Champion Golden State Warriors. After the departure of DeMarre Carroll in Free Agency, many projected that the Atlanta Hawks’ defense would fail to replicate its success from a season ago. With the addition of Kent Bazemore to the starting lineup, the defense has not missed a beat. Additionally, the return of Thabo Sefolosha has aided the team’s defense off the bench. Though many of his defensive contributions are not quantifiable, Sefolosha’s defensive presence has a direct effect on the team’s success.

Of course, rebounding is still the greatest deficiency of the Atlanta Hawks, and will need to improve significantly in order for the club to remain a contender through the regular season and postseason. If the Hawks can continue to provide active defense over the course of a 48 minute game, they will not go down lightly, and the effect of their lack of rebounding will diminish greatly.

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It’s great to see the offense beginning to gel, but it’s really because of the Atlanta Hawks work on the defensive end. Their work on the defensive end affords the offense the opportunities to convert turnovers into points and get easy baskets in transition. With the work of players like Paul Millsap and Kent Bazemore, the Hawks still look like one of the top teams in not only the Eastern Conference, but the NBA.

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