Wretch

I don't think the problem is Trae/DJ either. Honestly, it's a case where we have a lot of good parts in the starting lineup that don't fit great together. Resulting in a good, but not great team. With Hunter, the problem is that defense and size aside, he doesn't bring anything better, or even different, than what you get from DJ, Trae, or even JJ now. With the backcourt being fine, and if we're talking trades, I don't necessarily think we should look at it as try to upgrade Dre. I think if Jalen can guard the 3, then you evaluate whether a consolidation of Dre + <whatever> can upgrade SOMETHING in the frontcourt. That or we just continue the wait and see if the streaky offense settles down into a consistent rhythm. I'll say this much for the record... I don't dislike anybody on this team. I love this squad from top to bottom, even as we're middling. I don't think I've ever felt that way about a Hawks team. I tune into every game excited and I honestly whish that we could get it together without making any major moves.

Yep. Shooters have to shoot and he's not going to improve by as a cheerleader. This is how good players slip through the cracks and end up shining in a different environment. Not saying all he needs is PT, but AJ was consistently impressing last season. Too much to be buried on the bench.

There's a lot to be said on this topic... If you look at clutch wins as tracked by the NBA (games within 5 points of each other in the last 5 minutes of the 4th) we rank near the bottom. It's not that hard to understand why. The game slows down in crunch time and teams tend to go more iso/pnr. For us, it means we're back to Nate-balling. When we play teams that are soft in the middle, like the Bucks and pacers, we look like world beaters. When we play "handsy" teams like NY and Miami...the headlines read "Trae Young Exposed!" Good offense and good defense are not mutually exclusive. It not an either/or situation where wholesale changes or "A Serviceable Big ManTM" are going to magically solve our problems. Not pointing this at you @Diesel, because this thread reinforces my beliefs as well. Like you, I think we're closer to being a threat than a lot of people realize. If you're just looking at W/L's, box scores, and metrics, you won't see it. If you look back over the last couple of seasons at how we dominate in stretches, especially the last couple of seasons of storming back from double-digit deficits, you start to get an idea of what we could be. Collectively, excluding the hater outliers, I think we've come to a consensus on what's needed to make the leap.

https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/clutch-traditional https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/clutch-advanced

ALL. OF. THIS. All of it. If you struggle to put the ball in the basket when it counts, then you do not have an elite offense and your metrics are fools gold. If we want any hope of being better than a middle of the pack team, then it starts with getting Trae open AND putting capable finishers/shooters around him. Among the things we need to fix/tweak, our starting lineup is missing the secondary threat that would facilitate this. Surrounding Trae with a bunch of big bodies that rebound and defend will surely help us get stops. It won't matter if these same dudes are watching Trae and DJ going one-on-three against the zone.

*shrugs* This is why I'm always saying sell high....but FWIW, I think OO is fine. On both ends. We just need to figure out what we're doing with our front court. What really sucks losing JJ - so Hawks-like .

Much as I go on about a sniper in the starting lineup...Jalen Johnson has crept up to a very quiet 42% on 3s.

I've been on the fence about dipping into this thread, but this right here pulled me down. It's one of those things that I have been quietly speaking up on. There is a hard truth in "offense = defense." There's A LOT of hard truth in it and we witnessed much of it last night. Now, I don't think the style that Indiana plays is sustainable - so I'm not endorsing that. But the truth is that sometimes, your offense has to be your defense. Every night there's going to be one or TWO guys that can explode like Hali did and the best teams have them surrounded by the right mix of complimentary talent. We have to be able to score when it counts and that's where we struggle (not offensively as a whole). We look like world beaters against soft interior defense and we struggle against the zone and against physical teams (and everybody blames Trae). This is because offense and defense are more interconnected than people care to admit. The game is mental and is all about runs. Good defense will undoubtedly help but... I like this team a lot and I honestly think we're close. We need a true shooter in the starting lineup ideally paired with someone who can post up...if not just a stretch 5. On the other end of the court, it's not personnel or scheming issues. It's effort and putting a lid on runs. We absolutely cannot trade 2's for 3's. Not even if we're clicking on all cylinders. So if it comes down to it and we gotta pick a poison, I say "yolo" that sh!t and run the damn shooters off the 3pt line at all costs.

At first glance, it's an eye-opener fore sure...but I'd be interested in understanding how this is calculated. If it's only tracking scoring attempts off of isolation then yikes. If it's tracking all isolation plays, then it's a tilted stat penalizing him for passing. Other than that, it's interesting that he's so low on the possession side. An indicator of Quin moving the ball and validated by our climb from the bottom of the league in passes per possession.

Man...I'd REALLY like to see more of Okongwu face up. He's got a nice way of maneuvering in traffic.

Jalen Johnson is freakin' everywhere man. I'd like to see us keep feeding him. See how much he can handle. His game is looking strong...

Incoming:

First question is gonna be "Do you read the Squawk?" then... *This livestream has ended.*

This is such a telling stat.

I thought it was implied by the thread, but I'm talking all time scorers not currently...where he is clearly elite.

Trae is a "bad" shooter with a "great" shot. Shot selection is what's keeping him from that upper echelon of scorers. Part of that is most certainly maturity, but the larger part of it is just situational. He runs the offense and is one of the most adept scorers in the league. As long as there is no other threat opposite him, he will have to hunt his shot and it's holding him back. His court vision and passing accuracy is phenomenal. Though, again, this is situational efficacy pending players who can actually capitalize on the attention he draws and the skill he has delivering passes. Imagine the options if he had prime Korver and a legit post threat. On talent alone, Trae is a top 20 PG right now. In the right situation (the way Pippen found himself), Trae will be consensus top 10 and I'll go so far as to say he will win at least one championship. He's not just a scorer and he doesn't just pass the ball. He's stupidly skilled at both, but unquestionably needs maturity and good system. Also...I don't consider Steph a PG. I would compare him to the great scorers and shooters, where he is unquestionably one of the absolute best.

TBH, I'd be monitoring our long distance shooting closely and would take no chances with inefficiency there. We will go as far as our perimeter shooting takes us. Otherwise, we're just a midrange team with better ball movement that will get locked up in the playoffs. As for major moves, I'm always of the belief that you sell high if the right player becomes available. As good as we've looked, I think there's a missing link in the frontcourt that will take us to legit contender status. To that end, I'm equally curious as to what JJ's ceiling is and how his market looks.

This thread is exactly what I thought it would be...a maelstrom of rational retorts by @AHF and the fanatical defense of the claims by @Diesel. LOL Also, I am absolutely NOT saying the lottery is rigged... ...but it's rigged.

I'm probably VPN and League Pass monthly. It sucks watching the arena BS in between the action and missing the pregame, but the Bally app is straight garbagio....

We see you DJ! Don't spoil us now...need some consistency on this kind of

I did. Not that I advocate such things, but...there's links to stream nba games online all over the internet and social media. There's reliable links on Twitter. Use at your own risk though peeps.

Same. Glad I came to the Squawk for answers...

Total knee jerk re: Murray but I had the same reaction. I think Supes brought it up last year, but I'm starting to question the fit. Specifically, I'm worried about his shot... We can't have a starting 2 that is unreliable from deep. I do think we're fine if there's a legit 2nd option that has to be respected...but that means lowering our expectations of what we hoped DJ was.

Nah. I think by virtue of Quin's coaching alone we will improve our shooting. And I'm just talking about the words he's having with the team. That says nothing of a whole new system that doesn't rely on midrange/plays at the rim. That said, I still believe we will only be marginally improved because the only reliable shooter we have is constantly having to create his own shot.