News - Atlanta Hawks - Bulldog63
Quarterly (more like 20%) Review
With the first month of the season down, it's actually been a somewhat eventful start for the rebuilding Hawks. There's still plenty of season left, but let's check in on the happenings:
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT:
So far it's been a mixed bag in terms of the expectations the FO had for their guys. There've been an unfortunate couple of serious injuries (Taylor Hendricks, Immanuel Quickley) that have stunted what was supposed to be a fresh look at those guys. 1st-team all rookies Brandin Podziemski and Jaime Jaquez have shown either regression or only marginal improvement. Jarace Walker is gone altogether (we'll get to that.) On the flipside, Gradey Dick has emerged as a legitimate 3-level scorer with potential for more. Desmond Bane has cracked the top 50 NSL. Alex Sarr and Donovan Clingan have been as expected, helping shore up a defense that was last in the league last season. Payton Pritchard has come out of nowhere to be a legitimate starting level point guard on one of the best contracts in the league. Jay Huff has become a rotational piece on a minimum deal. So overall, things could be much worse, and for Podz and Jaquez there's still plenty of time to right the ship. Keep the faith!
Rookie Deep Dive
The Hawks gave up 5 1sts in this past draft for the rights to take both Alex Sarr and Donovan Clingan, a pair of 7 footers who they envision bringing a ton of length to the defense, with both having stretch potential on offense. So far, it's clear that they are as advertised in both a good and bad way. Their shot is a long way away, if it ever develops (though Sarr hasn't been shy about flinging it.) However, both are absolute block monsters, with Sarr already being top 10 in the league in BPG. Clingan meanwhile is a force in the paint on offense as well, being top 10 in FG%, and cracking the top 25 in rebounding and steals. It's clear they at least have a solid floor as defensive monsters with the distant potential of offensive game, which in a draft listed as pretty bad, it's good to come away feeling like you got 2 good rotation players, even if that's all they amount to. Both guys will likely continue to rotate starting duties with incumbent PF/C Isaiah Stewart for the time being.
TRADES:
There has been but one major trade on the hawks dockett so far this season, and that was sending 1sts (including their own next year) and Sophomore Jarace Walker for the rights back to their own 1st this year. This was a polarizing move that saw several FOs feeling the price to pay was too much. That may very well be the case, but the Atlanta GM came out in defense of the move shortly after.
"We understand that there is a distinct possibility the picks we traded out could end up just as good, if not better than the pick we acquired. However, our perspective is that we expect this to be the last season we can feasibly end up in #1 pick contention. With the amount of young guys we have, we expect their development to get us near the play-in next season, if not in outright. With that being said, it's known that we don't have a superstar right now. We have a few guys who could turn into one, but this draft we felt was our best and last chance to pick highly, and in a loaded draft at that. We felt that the price we paid in the end was not that much higher than what Portland paid NY for that pick in the first place, and portland acquired it with protections. We also aren't worried about salary right now, we understand Nassir Little is a dead weight salary but by the time our players are due for extensions, he will be off the books completely. We can afford to take the hit right now."
All in all, it sounds like they understand the risk they've taken in the picks they sent out, but the potential of losing out on a top 5 pick in a loaded draft if they had merely kept their protections was just too much of a risk to stomach.
Future Trades
After that deal was made, the Hawks immediately made several players available, such as Coby White, Desmond Bane, and Isaiah Stewart. However, they are finding it increasingly likely they will hold on to those players due to a lack of suitors. Portland owning about 20% of the market share in 1sts means there are fewer teams than ever with tradeable draft capital, and those that have it are also mostly rebuilding like Atlanta, and have no need for these types of competitive players right now. As such, their most likely move will be after week 9, when Jay Huff becomes available. He has come from the top rope to be a legitimate stretch 5 rotational player on a 4-year minimum deal. This deal would be absorable by most of the league's MLEs, and would not require significant draft compensation. Though they could certainly be mistaken about the market as they were with their other players, they do expect there to be significant interest after week 9. Time will tell if they've misstepped again or not.
TEAM PERFORMANCE:
As far as the product on the court is concerned, fans should both be prepared for another rough season, and also be grateful for the strides that have already taken place. While it is still below average, their defensive ranking in PPG has improved from last in the previous season, to 17th this season, and they are showing improvement in several advanced metrics over last season. Expected win % is up nearly 16%, off efficiency is up 6 pts, effective reb and FG % are both up. Things are trending in the right direction, and we expect things to get better as the seasons go on and young guys continue to grow.
To summarize the review:
-Development has been above expectations in some areas, below in others, but overall positive
-Not likely many trades in the tank going forward
-Focus on scouting top draft picks next year
-Team play is improving, but still not a very good team yet
Thanks for joining us, and we'll get back with you at the half-way point!
| | | Comments (1) | |
laddas
12/15 05:28 am | QN, Qtr. 1, #1 | |
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