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Atlanta Hawks Are Bottoming Out With Seven-Game Losing Streak

By Deke Lloyd

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 24: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks talks with head coach Lloyd Pierce while playing the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on October 24, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 24: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks talks with head coach Lloyd Pierce while playing the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on October 24, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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After last night’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Atlanta Hawks are in the middle of a seven-game losing streak. With the schedule not relenting in the next few games, the Hawks are in danger of falling into a massive early-season hole.

The Atlanta Hawks have not won a game since they won on the road in Denver, a surprising result at the time which looks even weirder given how the Hawks are playing lately. Since the Denver win, the Hawks have lost seven games in a row. With Milwaukee, Indiana, and Houston in their next three games, the Hawks could plunge even further in these next few games.

It’s the defense that has doomed the Hawks during this losing streak. In the seven games, the Hawks have given up 119 points or more in every game. After last night’s game with the Timberwolves, the Hawks rank 28th out of 30 teams in their defensive rating, only better than the Washington Wizards and Golden State Warriors. Now, this is a young team so it’s not out of the ordinary for a young team to struggle on defense. However, if the Hawks want to get out of this mess, the defense is going to have to improve drastically.

Even with the bad defense, the offense hasn’t been much better. Only slightly ahead of their defensive rating ranking, the Hawks offense ranks 26th in the NBA. That makes sense when two of the Hawks main offensive threats, Kevin Huerter and John Collins, are both sidelined at the moment. Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter are showing signs of offensive improvement as the season moves along but a lot of the onus is left on Trae Young, who can’t outscore the opposing team by myself, no matter how hard he tries.

With all of that said, the Hawks are kind of a mess right now. Yes, the Hawks are missing some key players and going through a particularly difficult part of the schedule right now, but the seven-game losing streak is burying this team. Dropping winnable games like Detroit and Phoenix, even with both games being on the road, are the kind of losses that can send a season into a tailspin. With the schedule not letting up anytime soon, the Hawks will have to win try to steal one of these next few games to break the cycle. If not, and the losing streak continues, the Hawks will be too far gone when Collins and Huerter return.

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