Nobody knows what the Atlanta Hawks are planning to do. The fringe Eastern Conference team sold valuable assets for pennies ahead of the Trade Deadline after losing their second best player to injury for the season but have continued to win games against good teams. The Hawks don’t look like a team that’s wavering right now. They’ve won four of their previous six games and Trae Young is willing them to solid results. But how long will that last?
Atlanta ranks eighth in the East with a 26-29 record. The Orlando Magic boast a mere half game lead in the standings, but the Hawks aren’t built to stand the test of time. Young is a magician with the ball and can bring out the true offensive potential of any team with his dynamic passing. The league’s lead assist man is averaging a season-high 12.3 dimes in February without a true co-star. However, his lack of defense will likely lead to the Hawks’ downfall.
Jalen Johnson and De’Andre Hunter could score the ball and provide versatile defense to cover Young’s defensive weaknesses. NBA steals leader Dyson Daniels can’t do it all alone, and now he’s been left with rookie forward Zacharrie Risacher as his best wing support on defense. Climbing past the league’s second-ranked scoring defense in Orlando will be a challenge, especially with the hungry Miami Heat waiting in the wings.
Atlanta will wrap up February with matchups against the Magic, Detroit Pistons, Heat (twice), and Oklahoma City Thunder before opening up March with the Memphis Grizzlies and Milwaukee Bucks. Young will need a ton of support on offense to make it through that gauntlet, and there’s no clear source for scoring outside of him at this point. The Hawks won’t fall off the face of the Earth, but it’s hard to see them going anywhere but down in the back half of the season.
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