2 minutes ago, hawkman said:

He was a lot further along than DJ or Hunter before he got hurt. DJ openly complained about the coaching and was rumored to be open to getting moved during the trade deadline. Trae still has a ways to go as far as playing off the ball, but he was trying on both ends from the start. DJ didn't really "buy in" until after the trade deadline and Hunter hit his stride after his knee injury.

That may be true, and he's still has a ways to go, but I'm not talking about DJ though.

Trae is the best player and we go where he takes us. Another thing he does that I don't like is jogging on offense when he's not bringing the ball up when he should be running and putting pressure on the defense.

8 minutes ago, hawkman said:

Actually, Trae already bought in. The rumor was DJM and Hunter didn't buy in early on. 

He bought in on defense and not dominating possessions as much, but he's still trash at playing offball. He has a habit of standing still at the top of the key and he doesn't take shots in rhythm. Hunter moves better then him now and both were bad early on.

I hope this stretch motivates Trae to buy in harder into the scheme, no more casually standing when the ball isn't in his hands. His firepower added to this wizardry can have us upsetting a higher seed.

I stand corrected on Edey to the degree I didn't think he would be picked in the first round, and now mocks have him as a fringe lottery pick. He's also been very productive. To the people that say he can't contribute cause of his size/body, don't forget people said the same about Trae.

I don't know if I would want him, but he would be very interesting to watch for sure, and if the FO picks him, Ima be a fan and chug the koolaid.

2 hours ago, Peoriabird said:

Doesn't impact winning

Most successful playoff push in franchise history. 

Hunter looks smoother then he's ever been, he might be a late bloomer type. With the level his jumper is now and how decisive and confident he's playing, I wonder if there's another gear he can get to. He will need to improve his handle and footwork to get there, but he's done a good job removing the gripes I was having with him so far.

Shoutout to the development staff.

If you wanna pick Edey you can, not at 10 though, that's an insane reach. He's gonna be there at 20

32 minutes ago, KB21 said:

I'm formulating my list of prospects that I like for the Hawks based on what I feel the biggest needs are with an eye towards their excellent player development program that is in place now.  I'm also taking into account what Quin Snyder wants to do as far as scheme.

10th pick:

• Ron Holland, SF, Ignite - I'm curious to see what his actual measurements will be.  I think long term, he's a guy who can potentially guard 1-4 on the floor.  He's dynamic in transition.  He can create his own offense off the dribble.  If the shot comes along, you have something special when you take into account that he is potentially a high-level defender.  I want to see if he is 6'8" as listed or if he is actually closer to 6'6".  
• Cody Williams, SF, Colorado - High upside play.  He's clearly not ready for the NBA, so his entire rookie season will likely be spent at College Park.  He needs skill refinement as well as body development.  He's a guy who you may not see much out of him till his third season.  However, the upside is there.  He's got innate ability to create offense for himself.  He's shown the ability to shoot the ball albeit on a low volume of attempts.  He's got some defensive chops that will improve as he gets stronger.  He could be Jalen Johnson or he could be Cam Reddish.  
• Stephon Castle, SG/PG, Connecticut - While I don't really believe the Hawks need a guard, I love this kid's game.  He can guard 1-3 on the floor.  He has the frame to play on the wing.  He has the capability to be a secondary ball handler and even a primary ball handler at times.  Great defensive player on the perimeter.  

18th-20th pick:

• Yves Missi, C, Baylor - Potentially a young Clint Capela with possible a bit more ability to create his own offense at times.  I've seen flashes of him being able to take the ball from 17 feet out and score at the rim without needing an assist.  Pick and roll finisher on offense who is both a rim protector and switchable defender on defense.  Honestly, I'd consider him at 10 if all of the other three players are gone.  Best center in the draft for Atlanta.
• Kel'el Ware, C, Indiana - Another springy switchable defender who can rim protect.  Ware is slightly behind Missi for me, but he does bring the extra dimension of being a strong three-point shooter.  
• Tyler Smith, PF, Ignite - 6'11" big who is perimeter oriented.  Athletic.  Not much of a defender at this point.  Solid three point shooter.  

I like Holland, I think he'll be really good if we draft him. He oozes talent and passes the eye test like how many people viewed Cam Reddish, but he has way more heart and is more athletic.

I wanna know how tall Missi is, if he's actually 7ft or atleast 6'11 I'd be ok taking him, but I've seen him listed as 6'10 online and would like us to actually have a legit 7fter.

25 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Neither have to go.

The issue with this team has always been the frontcourt.

I don't know. Murray is the number 2 for this team and I think we're better off with Jalen being the number 2. The synergy between Trae and Jalen if done right could be like what Joker and Jamal Murray have. 2 players dominating possessions who have a symbiotic relationship with their styles of play. Trae gives JJ easy scoring opportunities, opens up the floor for him, and mitigates his limited self creation(for now) and JJ makes teams pay for trapping Trae or running a zone and he adds a second layer of playmaking off of the chaos Trae creates.

I would like to see DJ go for a true point of attack gaurd defender. If you cant, might as well keep him and hope their chemistry improves.

Something people aren't talking about is that its no longer building around Trae in my opinion. Jalen has cemented himself as the second best player on this roster and his game is tailor made for Trae. He's the connector thats gonna exploit teams trapping Trae. He's gonna get to the level of scorer that can carry the load when Trae is being walled up, he can command doubles on his own cause of his athleticism and strength, and he can find Trae on the perimeter for looks.

Dejounte doesn't unlock jalen the way Trae does.

2 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

Go to San Antonio forum, their d*ck is rock hard for Trae. They had Murray and I don't see this fight for him but he ain't him.

That's the best argument that shuts this convo down. All the Spurs fans are praying for us to get rid of Trae, they aren't even thinking about Murray.

1 minute ago, hawkman said:

You build with a guy like DJ, but you build around Trae. The Hawks did it in '20-'21 and the results were immediate. The Hawks were not a super team by any means. Heck, the guys they put around him weren't even All Stars. There's no reason that can't be duplicated. For some reason, management completely abandoned what worked. 

The Miami series made them overreact. They went for a second ball handler at the gaurd spot but didn't account for the lack of playmaking in the front court. JC, CC, and Hunter(at the time) aren't able to make reads or handle the ball and teams were front loading Trae heavily and his teamates weren't able to make them pay for that. 

The issue was also that the guard they got isn't someone who can play off of Trae. Murray likes to get to his own offense, he's not a spotup type gaurd(think of the CJ McCollum and Dame pairing on offense).

They also didn't account for Trae being as bad as he's been off the ball himself. DJ doesn't collapse defenses that well either so Trae doesn't get the kind of looks that everyone else gets when he has the ball(hopefully Jalen can change this).

If they knew what they had in JJ and Quin was already on the team, they may have not went in for DJ.

5 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

True. I think people don't realize that Murray does a good job of running the offense even if he's 1/10 the playmaker Trae is. 

Because I said Murray is a superior floor general and runs an offense better than Trae, everytime, shots don't fall or Murray has tunnel vision, some idiot says Murray runs an offense better than Trae. The data speaks for itself. Murray doesn't have the on ball ability or playmaking that makes Trae a legend but he can run an offense. Even if it's not smooth and it's herky jerky

He's more committed to running the offense as a sole PG and then throughout the game he goes for his own offense. It's why struggles at the 2 in my opinion. His tunnel vision gets worse with less usage.

I'm sold on Tristin da Silva, that's a high level glue guy whose not afraid to let it fly, a great team defender, plays great off the ball, makes timely decisions, and keeps the ball moving. You have him and Jalen on the court with Trae and teams like Miami are no longer a problem.

4 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

He's the same player, just getting much quality touches consistently. That said, his shooting and decision making has improved. No doubt about that. 

The decision making was what was holding him back. He doesn't have consistent creation ability so he has to be decisive with the looks he gets.

43 minutes ago, Mikey said:

His feel for the game is what’s so good to me. If his defender looks away he cuts. Always moving to the open space. Nice forward to pair with jalen 

I looked at some videos and like what I see. I'd be happy with him at the kings pick. I like him for the same reasons I liked the Kobe pick, smart player that can shoot and plays defense with intensity. The fact that he's 6'9 is huge. You have him and Gueye off the bench and our depth gets so much better if he's ready to contribute.

Not gonna lie, none of these center prospects wow me. Even though we need added frontcourt depth, I'd be cool not picking any of these guys. Hoping we get a JJ situation where somebody drops and we swoop in.

Did a little digging, apparently his defense isn't where it should be

Hoping that Zvonimir Ivisic has an excellent tournament showing and gets his name back on draft boards. I love his height, fluidity, athleticism, transition play, and shooting. Absolutely crushes the eye test for me. Can someone explain why he's not producing? Is it cause he's too skinny or raw, or is he just not that good?

Can't wait for JJ's ball handling, footwork, post game, and touch to improve. I love how even though he's big, he's still graceful. How often do you see guys doing eurostep fadeaways? He's one of the few younger guys that likes using the glass on midrange shots too. He's easily gonna average over 20 next season.

10 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Goals for Every NBA Team Down the Stretch

Atlanta Hawks: Determine the Staying Power of Non-Stars

Goals for Every NBA Team Down the Stretch | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors | Bleacher Report

That's the first time in a long time I've seen a thoughtul Bleacher Report post on the Hawks.

The biggest improvement for Hunter has been his decisiveness. He always had spots on the floor where he could be efficient like the middy, the three and his floaters near the rim, but he lacks athleticism and a tight handle. Those weak areas get highlighted even more cause he would survey the court before making a move and struggle to get separation which would allow defenders to contain him.

Now he's thinking less and reacting more so the split second advantage he gets from the defender being behind on plays is translating into him getting to his spots and converting.

He's also stopped forcing offense and has reduced his tunnel vision. That's the biggest surprise, he's making reads I didn't think he could make.

Wonder why the NBA hasn't thought of ways to balance out the high number of three's taken. If it's statistically more favorable to shoot quick, semi contested three's then attacking the basket or scoring in the post, you have to find ways to incentivize doing the former or reduce the value of the latter.

Defense losing it's shine dilutes the intensity of the sport for die hards. There used to be anticipation for certain matchups just to watch how defensive players would try to shut down stars. That doesn't get marketed anymore.

I wonder what it is, Adam Silver wants. 

The one negative that comes with analytics powered business is that everything has become optimized to the point its lost it's flavor. The fact that we aren't perfect is the spice that adds pop to things. Social Media is designed to drain you brain dry, ad campaigns are so thorough and have bled almost everywhere, everyone is a data point. Feels souless to a degree.

I've only watched a couple highlights and interviews, but Ware doesn't give me good vibes. His energy on the court combined with his personality isn't what I would like out of a center prospect. I sense no tenacity or edge.

Flipowski is alright, but I don't know if he fixes the major problems we have in the front court, but he does bring in talent, versatility and offense. They say he's 7ft, doesn't look like it to me.

Clingan doesn't really wow me much. He's big, but doesn't do anything that grabs my attention.

Zvonimir Ivisic is my favorite center prospect just from an eye test, but he hasn't produced much.