After the Hawks' first ugly loss of the season to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Coach Lloyd Pierce made note that the team would “put this one to bed.” Since that game, Atlanta has lost three consecutive games, all at home no less.
Cleveland was chalked up to a back-to-back. New York just had a hot-streaking and nightmare matchup with Julius Randle. Charlotte had Gordon Hayward. However, the Hawks' issues can’t be placed on opposing teams. The Hawks are playing like moody teenagers.
First and foremost this isn’t an attack on any player off the court. Atlanta has constructed a team of professionals, full of class. But this isn’t about that. The Hawks, starting with their leader Trae Young, are showing tendencies you’d expect from an Ariana Grande blasting, hormonal teenager.
Confidence is everything with teenagers. When they have it, sky’s the limit. When they don’t you can look at them the wrong way and tears are shed. The Hawks in Brooklyn showed confidence. Even in their first loss of the season, they frustrated Kyrie Irving for most of the game while four different Hawks players had at least 20 points. They fought to the end.
Juxtapose that with their next two losses where they lost 15-point third-quarter leads in back-to-back games and what’s missing? Confidence.
The cult classic teen film Mean Girls is often remembered for the quote “you can’t sit with us” after Plastic’s leader Regina George is turned away for wearing sweatpants because she’s become too overweight to wear anything else. This Hawks team through this losing streak is playing like they’ve been told they’re too fat and can’t sit with the cool kids.
Against Cleveland they were lethargic. Against New York they were unsure. Against Charlotte they were aloof.
The culmination showed up in Charlotte where Young scored just seven points, missing all three of his three-point attempts, not in one quarter but the entire game. Add that to just three assists for a guy who usually flirts with double digits in the category and you get a player who’s lost his confidence and borderline checked out.
Young has also referenced multiple times in post-game press conferences that the team’s mindset is to not get too high or too low. The problem is Atlanta’s errant three point shooting from Young, Bogdanovic, and Reddish whether up big or down big in a game doesn’t align with those comments. Managing the high for athletes who have likely been stars from a young age isn’t necessarily difficult, however, managing the lows are what create championship teams.
Lastly, moody teenagers are notorious for rejecting authority. Anything from being told to clean their room to turn that music down can parlay into some overdramatic comment about life being unfair. The Hawks interactions with officials are teetering on similar ground.
It’s not uncommon for NBA players to question calls made by referees during a game. But the Hawks' lack of veteran status amongst officials combined with their tendencies to theatrically contest calls is a cause for concern. Doing so leaves a bad mental reminder for officials to become more strict while also mentally taking the Hawks out of their game.
Young won’t always get the foul calls often seen by former MVP James Harden. Reddish won’t get the same as Jimmy Butler. Some nights it might be 15 visits to the charity stripe while others just four. Either way, it can’t be a dependency that affects wins and losses for this team.
Atlanta isn’t destined for disaster, they’ve just hit a pothole in the road. Their weaknesses have shown themselves early, but given time (mentioned in every player’s post-game) plus healthy additions back to the roster and there can be a completely different conversation had about this team in the coming months.
The Hawks have to grow up on the court and emerge from this awkward teen phase. It’s time for puberty Atlanta.