Among the irrefutable, objective, key differences b/t Hawks and the East's likely champion: 804 days

[sturt]

I did the math with a little help from Excel.

Comparing the first 8 players in the BOS rotation with the first 8 for ATL, BOS is older by an average of slightly more than 2 years of age (804 days).

When we remove their oldest and our oldest from that equation, they're older by a margin of slightly less than 2 years of age (636 days).

When we remove their two oldest and ours, they're still older by a margin of slightly less than 2 years of age (655 days).

 

Whatever you think of your Hawks today... they're two years behind what they will be.

And two years ago, BOS was sitting at home, feeling like underachievers, and watching your Hawks go to war against the eventual NBA champions from MIL.

 

I'm one of those who believe chemistry/continuity is, more typically than not, underrated by fans--ours or anyone else's. It's less important in Manfredball (what used to be "baseball") or football because basketball is a game of continuous movement... ballet on hardwood, as it's sometimes called.

I'm one of those who also believe that maturity is, more typically than not, underrated by fans--ours or anyone else's. And that's pretty much a constant of professional sports. Theoretically if you could magically endow a random selection of 40 year-old NBA players with the physical bodies of 20 year-olds, and played them in a series against a random selection of 28 year-olds (ie, the average age of BOS' first 8), the 40 year-olds would win the vast majority of games b/c of their wisdom and experience.

 

All that to say, I've watched all the exit interviews, and it's my perception that this team is mentally poised to take a significant jump next season.

Look. No one can argue that the 2022-23 season has been a season of significant upheaval and complication in ATL: (1) Injecting a new key element into the starting line-up, (2) missing a key element on the bench for the first 1/3 of the season, and (3) relying on substantial youth on the bench with not one, not two, but three 2nd unit players who, in an earlier generation, would have still been playing at USC or Duke.

Oh yeah. Add to that changes in the lead dog of basketball ops office.

Oh yeah. Add to that change in the head coach office.

 

The analogy that comes to mind is that there's been a hard rain that beat up what we've planted... but having endured that now and with some sunny days and relative calm for awhile, and in light of recent results showing some spunk and some whiff of reason for swagger...

the futures market is looking... dare I say...

So there is reason to think the hardest part of the chemistry learning curve is past us now, and that road is straightening out considerably.

There is a building maturity.

There is reason to believe most have not yet reached their physical/talent ceiling, so there's capacity for internal improvement still.

 

I'm on record about the changes I'd most like to see (ie, "wishlist" thread). The roster can be improved, as most any roster can, even that of whatever team wins the trophy this year.

But reason persuades me that the main ingredients in the recipe are already here, and just need time to marinate and simmer.

 

( EDIT: Sounds like Landry's similarly inclined: https://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-hawks/hawks-landry-fields-qa-we-are-a-different-team/UZT3T3D5W5ASREK7V7J3XGQ7LM/ )

[Diesel]

53 minutes ago, sturt said:

All that to say, I've watched all the exit interviews, and it's my perception that this team is mentally poised to take a significant jump next season.

 

I have to say... changing coaches.. GMs... and the tormoil of this season has us here.   I agree with you that we are ready to pounce.

If we replace nobody and move to a motion system, we will be really good.  But I have said that I believe that we will move CC. I disagree with the critics who says that he had a bad playoffs.  I don't think this is a matchup he can exploit without us selling out to the PNR.  

One other thought about a motion is Hunter.   Can Hunter be depended on as a distributor?  He and JC will have to improve their ball handling skills and their vision. 

Hunter on the inbound was simply...  WTF...

 

[sturt]

1 hour ago, Diesel said:

Hunter on the inbound was simply...  WTF...

Trae (?) innocently enough commented later that the head coach hadn't practiced any inbound play that would work for that place on the court.

So, I'm not sure if the QB threw it to the wrong spot, or if the receiver ran the wrong route, but I do know that the coach hadn't prepared the team for that situation.

Circling back to the intended point of the thread.... in the big picture, what will Hunter be like next season... and the season after that... and what will the players around him be like... and what will all of their chemistry look like.

It's easy for me to imagine answers to those questions that look a lot like the same answers to those questions before  this Boston roster finally melded about 25 games into last season... ie, after this roster has about 2 more years of maturity, catching up to where BOS is today.

 

Here's more fodder I found for this fire... (arrows pointing to us, and to the NBA Finals participants since we last were an EC Finals participant... )