Power Rankings: Hawks Like George and Wheezy

[AHF]

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16. Atlanta Hawks
Record: 2-0
Week 1 ranking: 23

Trae Young has been living up to his nickname "Ice Trae" so far. Young averaged 38.5 points in 36.5 minutes over his first two contests, while shooting 70.7% from the field and 55% from 3-point range. But a big test comes early this week for Young and the undefeated Hawks: Philadelphia comes to town Monday night. -- Spears

This week: PHI, @MIA, MIA

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27942435/nba-power-rankings-week-2-opening-week-thoughts-all-30-teams

[AHF]

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15. Atlanta Hawks – Trae Young is among the league’s most gifted passers. If he unleashes Curry-esque bombs consistently, look out. Atlanta could be gunning for the playoffs ahead of schedule.

https://www.si.com/nba/2019/10/28/nba-power-rankings-clippers-warriors-lakers

[AHF]

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4

Hawks

If you were wondering if Trae Young could keep up his blistering pace from last season's phenomenal second half, the answer is yes. Young has been transcendent in his first two games, putting up huge numbers and hitting huge shots in wins over the Pistons and Magic. More importantly, they've been able to hold their opponents to 100 and 99 points, respectively. If Young keeps this up and the defense can just not be horrific, the Hawks have a real shot at the playoffs. But those are big ifs.

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https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-power-rankings-76ers-nuggets-on-top-after-otherwise-unpredictable-start-struggling-warriors-at-bottom/

[hawkman]

^ Only two games in but I'll take it. 

[AHF]

Related:

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But this Hawks thing isn't coming out of nowhere. Trae Young certainly isn't coming out of nowhere. If anything, both the Hawks' and Young's early season success feel like reasonable progressions. Travis Schlenk has put together a team full of versatile, smart guys who can all shoot, dribble and pass, and who are collectively suited to complement the emerging brilliance of Young. A playoff berth this season would certainly reflect an expedited timeline, but you won't find anyone around the league who doesn't think Atlanta will be in the playoffs sooner rather than later. 

As for Young, the time is now. He arguably outplayed Doncic over the second half of last season. His confidence is through the roof. Given his skillset and the no-touch rules of the day, he's a bomb waiting to explode. His video-game ball-handling and passing and his parking-lot shooting range are tools of inevitability. But what's setting him apart perhaps earlier than people thought is his feel for everything that's being thrown at him. 

It took years before Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard had to deal with the blitzing, trapping defenses Young is already seeing on a nightly basis. Both those guys had to go through visible growing pains, and surely Young isn't immune to the occasional hiccup. He has 11 turnovers through the first two games. That said, the poise and counter-attacking instincts he's shown bely his inexperience. 

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/could-trae-youngs-historic-start-to-the-season-lead-to-an-all-star-nod-hawks-playoff-berth/

[Thomas]

Bout time more people with a venue open there eyes a little wider.

[Atlantaholic]

56 minutes ago, AHF said:

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https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-power-rankings-76ers-nuggets-on-top-after-otherwise-unpredictable-start-struggling-warriors-at-bottom/

Honestly, based purely on the team stats from the first two games, offensive efficiency, defensive efficiency, strength of schedule, point differential etc. We are easily a top 5 team so far. Of course it's a ridiculously small sample size and odds of Trae finishing the year avg 39 points on 70% is pretty much south of 0.1% but non the less if you are giving us a grade based purely on past performance and not future expectation there are very few teams that have looked overall better on both ends then the Hawks and that is an indisputable fact. 

https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/ATL/2020.html

Edited October 28, 2019 by Atlantaholic

[REHawksFan]

13. Atlanta Hawks (Previously 24th), 2-0 (+9.0 net rating)

It’s only two games in his second season, but Trae Young has dropped at least 38 points in each of them for the Atlanta Hawks. He lit up Detroit when the Pistons were on a back-to-back to start the season. Fine. Maybe the Pistons were just tired. Trying to get your legs under you so quickly is a tough thing to do and it’s crazy a team would start out the season on a back-to-back.

Then the Hawks had their home opener Saturday against a really good defensive team with Orlando. The Magic, especially under the tutelage of Steve Clifford, are a defense to be reckoned with most nights. DJ Augustin is undersized and Evan Fournier needs some cover, but everybody else on that defense can lock up.

Didn’t seem to bother Young at all. He lit up Augustin, who he had a mini-beef with last season. He lit up Markelle Fultz, who is a big guard who can stick with you defensively. He lit up any switch thrown at him throughout the night. Two games in and he’s scored 77 points on 58.6 percent from the field and 11-of-20 from deep.

I’m not here to prognosticate about what Young might end up being this year and in the future. I think he’s good and I think he’ll be awesome, but I don’t care to figure out degrees just yet. Let’s just watch Hawks games together right now and let them entertain us. It’s not just him. This is a young, athletic team that doesn’t know yet it should be losing games.

 

https://theathletic.com/1310255/2019/10/28/the-athletics-2019-2020-nba-power-rankings-week-1-rank-and-overreact/ 

 

 

[Atlantaholic]

But I was told the Pels rebuild was going better? Guess they didn't get Peo's memo.

[Spud2nique]

Here some BR trash 🗑 rankings... how u gonna put us at 18 and scrubs at 19???? You Bay Area based bitches! 
 

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2859506-nba-power-rankings-los-angeles-clippers-lead-the-way-1-week-into-2019-20-season?share=other#slide1

[REHawksFan]

1 hour ago, AHF said:

If Young keeps this up and the defense can just not be horrific, the Hawks have a real shot at the playoffs. But those are big ifs.

I would disagree strongly that the Hawks need Trae to "keep this up" (ie put up 38 / night on 70.5% TS% ) just to make the playoffs. IF (and no I don't think it likely or even possible), but IF Trae duplicated his first 2 games all season then A) he'd be the MVP; and B) the Hawks would likely win 65+ games.  They have a NET RTG of 9.0 which is higher than any team since the 16-17 GS team that won 67 games.  

 

I think - based on what I've seen in a VERY small sample size - they just need to survive the first 20 games (which are by far their hardest stretch in the season) and they will make the playoffs.  Just be 8-12 or better in the first month of the season and they will continue to improve over the course of the year and very likely make the playoffs. 

[AHF]

40 minutes ago, REHawksFan said:

I would disagree strongly that the Hawks need Trae to "keep this up" (ie put up 38 / night on 70.5% TS% ) just to make the playoffs. IF (and no I don't think it likely or even possible), but IF Trae duplicated his first 2 games all season then A) he'd be the MVP; and B) the Hawks would likely win 65+ games.  They have a NET RTG of 9.0 which is higher than any team since the 16-17 GS team that won 67 games.  

 

I think - based on what I've seen in a VERY small sample size - they just need to survive the first 20 games (which are by far their hardest stretch in the season) and they will make the playoffs.  Just be 8-12 or better in the first month of the season and they will continue to improve over the course of the year and very likely make the playoffs. 

I don't read that as Trae needing to be THIS good all season but more like keeping us his improved D and electric offensive play in the second half last season and these first two games.  I do think they need him to be an absolute star to make the playoffs which is where that was going (IMO) but 100% also agree with you that development from our other players can make up for the natural regression he will have in his shooting %s.

[AHF]

1 hour ago, Atlantaholic said:

Honestly, based purely on the team stats from the first two games, offensive efficiency, defensive efficiency, strength of schedule, point differential etc. We are easily a top 5 team so far. Of course it's a ridiculously small sample size and odds of Trae finishing the year avg 39 points on 70% is pretty much south of 0.1% but non the less if you are giving us a grade based purely on past performance and not future expectation there are very few teams that have looked overall better on both ends then the Hawks and that is an indisputable fact. 

https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/ATL/2020.html

I don't think they are consistent with their methodology because they have a 2-1 team as the #1 squad over 4 undefeated teams but I do think that performance year to date is how the list is weighted.  

[REHawksFan]

37 minutes ago, AHF said:

I don't read that as Trae needing to be THIS good all season but more like keeping us his improved D and electric offensive play in the second half last season and these first two games.  I do think they need him to be an absolute star to make the playoffs which is where that was going (IMO) but 100% also agree with you that development from our other players can make up for the natural regression he will have in his shooting %s.

Well if that's the case, I guess I can see it. But it sort of brings light to the elephant in the room.  That is, what exactly is Trae? What are realistic progressions for him this year?  I'm assuming we can agree that the 1st 2 games overshoot any "reasonable" progression even from the 2nd half of last season (where he avg 21.6 pts / 8.6 ast after January 1).  Coming into the year, I was thinking a reasonable growth for him would be consistently avg 24 / 9 on efficient shooting. 

Well after 2 games, I'm now wondering if that is woefully shortchanging him. Could he be a 28 / 9 guy in year 2? Could he actually avg 30 pts? Is that reasonable long-term? I honestly don't know. 

 

Edited October 28, 2019 by REHawksFan

[Lurker]

Yeah I have to think most of these rankings are based off belief in what a team is going to do from the preseason still. If what we've seen from Golden State continues through the next 18-20 games or so, you best believe they'll probably start getting ranked in the bottom 5. If the Hawks continue playing competitive ball through this tough early stretch and are respectable, you'll start seeing a consistent ranking around the middle of the pack.

[JayBirdHawk]

45 minutes ago, REHawksFan said:

Well if that's the case, I guess I can see it. But it sort of brings light to the elephant in the room.  That is, what exactly is Trae? What are realistic progressions for him this year?  I'm assuming we can agree that the 1st 2 games overshoot any "reasonable" progression even from the 2nd half of last season (where he avg 21.6 pts / 8.6 ast after January 1).  Coming into the year, I was thinking a reasonable growth for him would be consistently avg 24 / 9 on efficient shooting. 

Well after 2 games, I'm now wondering if that is woefully shortchanging him. Could he be a 28 / 9 guy in year 2? Could he actually avg 30 pts? Is that reasonable long-term? I honestly don't know. 

 

All i need is for Trae to be efficient shooting the ball, effective running the offense and keeping his teammates involved, limit turnovers and play with the defensive intensity and instinct he's shown in the 1st two games. The nimbers will be whatever they are.

What I don't want is the shot volume disparity between Trae and the next Hawks player. Trae took 25 shots, the next highest was 9 by Reddish/Bembry.

Granted, some of that is a by product of Orlando's offensive scheme and who they have at PG.

I don't think that's sustainable.

[marco102]

24 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

All i need is for Trae to be efficient shooting the ball, effective running the offense and keeping his teammates involved, limit turnovers and play with the defensive intensity and instinct he's shown in the 1st two games. The nimbers will be whatever they are.

What I don't want is the shot volume disparity between Trae and the next Hawks player. Trae took 25 shots, the next highest was 9 by Reddish/Bembry.

Granted, some of that is a by product of Orlando's offensive scheme and who they have at PG.

I don't think that's sustainable.

I agree.  I think the main reason for the shot disparity was Orlando and their ability to take away John.  They also clog up the passing lanes.  I rather Trae shot when he's hot than get those turnover trying to get his teammates involved.  

But that shot disparity doesn't need to happen on a consistent basis.  

[JayBirdHawk]

5 minutes ago, marco102 said:

I agree.  I think the main reason for the shot disparity was Orlando and their ability to take away John.  They also clog up the passing lanes.  I rather Trae shot when he's hot than get those turnover trying to get his teammates involved.  

But that shot disparity doesn't need to happen on a consistent basis.  

Agreed, I also noted in game thread, playing with two rookies, struggle monster Len plus 7 new teammates.

[REHawksFan]

2 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

All i need is for Trae to be efficient shooting the ball, effective running the offense and keeping his teammates involved, limit turnovers and play with the defensive intensity and instinct he's shown in the 1st two games. The nimbers will be whatever they are.

What I don't want is the shot volume disparity between Trae and the next Hawks player. Trae took 25 shots, the next highest was 9 by Reddish/Bembry.

Granted, some of that is a by product of Orlando's offensive scheme and who they have at PG.

I don't think that's sustainable.

I hear ya. I guess I just don't think 23 attempts is too many for Trae.  The elite players on really good teams with secondary scorers live in the 18-20 attempt range. On this team - without established options other than JC - I'm ok with 23 attempts. I just want to see efficiency with those shots. 

[Thomas]

Our core moving forward is/are all of college age guys. Trae, Huerter, Cam, Hunter, JC and Bruno. Normally the lack of NBA floor time would be a negative with such youth. A bit different for us do believe. Whats that saying "Future so bright we gotta wear shades." Anyway like others have said not everything holds up perfectly over a season but we are pretty well set (that statement with Len backing up Bruno sooner than most of us thought) and am saying that we hit the playoffs this year and also have get well wishes for Bruno to get back on the court very soon to help all this come true. He is the long term center of our future.