One More Day!!! Let's hear it: What are your expectations?

[JayBirdHawk]

I'm only doing player expectations.

1. Trae - Increased efficiency, consistent effort on defense and a more vocal leader, full buy in under Quin

2. DJ - Increased defense effort (his 2021 effort), tighten the dribble (too high), be better at PG duties in the non-Trae minutes

3. Hunter - Consistency across the board, be decisive, create havoc on defense: deflections and steals. Hopefully he is fully past his knee injury and get some burst back, full buy in under Quin

4. JJ - Be the day 1 starter at PF (this is me hoping he beats out Bey) which means his 3pt shooting looks like something in training camp. Fix his freethrow shooting - 62.8% last season

5. CC - Healthy, better defense, 65% from the freethrow line (60.3% last season

6. Bogi - Minimum 70 games, HotBogi from FIBA, be in the running for 6MOY

7. OO - Get some nasty in him, surpass Clint as the starter or at least play more minutes than him and finish games. Stop fouling so much. More shot attempts: PnP and increased 3pt shot attempts. be in the running for 6MOY

8. Bey - keep the hustle and improve defense

9. AJ - I'll take what he gave us last year with improved defense.

10. Patty - Can we get FIBA Patty? Show your Experience and vet leadership.

11. Bruno - It's time to show us something, make Quin find minutes for you.

12. Kobe - I anticipate he will be GLeague bound - he has to dominate there.  If he is playing with the Big squad, I want to see him make positive contributions in whatever minutes he gets.

13. MoGee - GLeague bound - be dominant.

14. Matthews - Break glass in case of emergency player.   Can he be our 'Solo The Knife'

15. Mathews - I'm hoping we have enought winning blow out games so he can play

 

General - We have got to learn to finish games!!

 

@lethalweapon3 Game threads incoming!

 

LET"S GET READY - GO HAWKS!!!

 

 

[Gray Mule]

Three draft picks all go to Skyhawks?  

[kg01]

I measure seasons by the number of Bluey and Peppa Pig episodes I end up angrily rage-channel-switching to after/during Hawks games.

Late last season, I saw far fewer episodes, so I expect that trend to continue this season.

'Specially once BenJalen gets real minutes, right @Spud2nique?

[Vol4ever]

Blah blah for me.  Only positive I see in the organization is Coach Snyder.    Team is unbalanced and I'm not expecting anything more than a first rd playoff exit.  

[JayBirdHawk]

36 minutes ago, Vol4ever said:

Blah blah for me.  Only positive I see in the organization is Coach Snyder.    Team is unbalanced and I'm not expecting anything more than a first rd playoff exit.  

That's not the right answer . This isn't about team, but individual expectations of our players, particularly under Quin.

I'll do my W/L after preseason.

[Vol4ever]

3 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

That's not the right answer . This isn't about team, but individual expectations of our players, particularly under Quin.

I'll do my W/L after preseason.

Ok I've been corrected............

[Diesel]

I will say the following...

Bogi...   More shots in the offense.

JJ.. More PT if his shooting from distance is better. 

Bey... Claim the starter at PF.

[NBASupes]

Full-blown Quin ball. 

Shooting improvements. 

Offense going back to the top of the league

I am not sure what to expect on defense. I have no expectations but to be bad on that end. 

[Final_quest]

Want to see Trae avoid an early season slump.  Better schemes from Snyder to unlock more of his game.  

DM has to put up at least neutral plus minus numbers in his lineups while Trae is off the court.  Quin has to find a DM unit that fits and keeps us in games.

Jalen is really in position to become the X factor for the team.  Disruption in the open court, vision, tipped balls, fast breaks, chase down blocks, stronger and more decisive moves to the rim, etc.  He needs to earn a longer leash, play with confidence, and make faster/better decisions.

Other potential X factor is with our shooters who are a defensive liability.  The second half of the season Bogi, Bey, and AJ destroyed other bench lineups.  I know AJ didn’t get much PT, but look at what he did when he was paired with Bey or Bogi.  

Capela and Okongwu are one of the best center tandems in the league.  Not the best because Jokic plus anyone is way better.  Although I don’t think Capela is our 2nd best player anymore, he is undervalued on this forum.  20 rebounds vs Bam and the Heat during the play in.  Still expect these guys to play their role and win their matchups. 

Quin Snyder has an opportunity to show the league he can win with teams that play .500 under Nate.  

[Gray Mule]

What we see in our pre-season games will have some effect on what we see in the regular season.  Example.  Trae exits for a rest.  Rookie PG enters to replace him to play with Murray.  Will this continue into the regular season?  Not if rookie PG is gone to play with Skyhawks.  Do I expect to see M. Gueye at PF in pre-season?  You bet I do!  But, will he be a Skyhawk when season opens?

20 players in pre-season become 15 when we open the season.  Building our bench and building the Skyhawks runs together.

[thecampster]

I expect a 50+ win season.

I'm expecting better chemistry, more ball movement, less Trae ball domination.

I expect better 3 point shooting.

[AHF]

16 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

I'm only doing player expectations.

1. Trae - Increased efficiency, consistent effort on defense and a more vocal leader, full buy in under Quin

2. DJ - Increased defense effort (his 2021 effort), tighten the dribble (too high), be better at PG duties in the non-Trae minutes

3. Hunter - Consistency across the board, be decisive, create havoc on defense: deflections and steals. Hopefully he is fully past his knee injury and get some burst back, full buy in under Quin

4. JJ - Be the day 1 starter at PF (this is me hoping he beats out Bey) which means his 3pt shooting looks like something in training camp. Fix his freethrow shooting - 62.8% last season

5. CC - Healthy, better defense, 65% from the freethrow line (60.3% last season

6. Bogi - Minimum 70 games, HotBogi from FIBA, be in the running for 6MOY

7. OO - Get some nasty in him, surpass Clint as the starter or at least play more minutes than him and finish games. Stop fouling so much. More shot attempts: PnP and increased 3pt shot attempts. be in the running for 6MOY

8. Bey - keep the hustle and improve defense

9. AJ - I'll take what he gave us last year with improved defense.

10. Patty - Can we get FIBA Patty? Show your Experience and vet leadership.

11. Bruno - It's time to show us something, make Quin find minutes for you.

12. Kobe - I anticipate he will be GLeague bound - he has to dominate there.  If he is playing with the Big squad, I want to see him make positive contributions in whatever minutes he gets.

13. MoGee - GLeague bound - be dominant.

14. Matthews - Break glass in case of emergency player.   Can he be our 'Solo The Knife'

15. Mathews - I'm hoping we have enought winning blow out games so he can play

 

General - We have got to learn to finish games!!

 

@lethalweapon3 Game threads incoming!

 

LET"S GET READY - GO HAWKS!!!

 

 

Great run down by player, Jay.  A couple of thoughts I'd add (I'm not mentioning things you already covered which I almost uniformly agree with):

DM - Continue to improve his jumper.

Bey - Unlike you, I am predicting a Bey / CC starting frontcourt to begin the season.  I expect to see Bey continue with the changes to shot selection we saw as he came from Detroit to Atlanta and that led to a big increase in his 3pt%.  As a stretch PF, I expect him to be very effective next to CC (who can help cover his more sketchy rebounding at the 4).

JJ - I expect him to come off the bench and be a disruptive and versatile duo in the frontcourt with OO.  Improving his perimeter shooting is key (including his free throws) and while I expect some of that the degree of improvement is more of an unknown to me.   His defense, rebounding and passing needs to be the core of his game and the offense comes on top of that.

Bogi - This is a bit of a repeat but stay healthy my friend.

AJ - After Quin sidelined him last year, I think it is essential that he earn Snyder's trust and a regular role in the rotation.  Shooting is his bread and butter but he is so young that he has the potential to improve everywhere and he showed some nice feel for the game that gives me optimism for his growth.

Patty - Real question in my mind whether he will be on the team but I do feel like he should be a small part of the rotation if he is.  He has the biggest potential to seize a bigger role with an injury and could be a better version of the last season or two that Lou had with us, imo.

Matthews / Mathews - I have zero expectations for either of these guys.  Don't expect them to be in the rotation at all.  If they are, I figure something has gone wrong.  

MoGee - Very excited like everyone else but he is so new to the game that I expect more growing pains for him than you might expect from his standout play in the Summer League.  If he earns minutes in Atlanta that would be a revelation for a player with his experience but I expect a season of learning the nuances of the game with him coming on stronger as the year progresses and he learns to use his tools that appear to be potentially dominant.

Kobe - I have almost zero expectations for him.  Obviously, he was a projected lottery pick and usually expectations run high there but he barely played as a college freshman and looked very raw in the summer league so G-League makes sense to me.  I didn't see him really dominant in college so I don't expect him to absolutely dominate the G-League either but that would be great if it happens.  I just don't expect it.

[macdaddy]

Trae - honestly i want him in the mvp conversation.  And he better be an all star.  All he has to do really is shoot better and win and play some D.  would love to see him with a bunch of steals

DJ - less sloppy.  Attack the basket.  Be a pest

Hunter - aggression 

OO - aggression

CC - don't expect much to change but just keep bringing it. be a the vet leader.

JJ - shoot decent.  make those passes.  blocks

Bogi - 6MOY -

Bey - be the spark like we saw last year.  make Hunter and JJ feel the pressure

AJ - improvement.  better defensive awareness

Patty - get in that rotation as the backup PG

[JayBirdHawk]

19 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

14. Matthews - Break glass in case of emergency player.   Can he be our 'Solo The Knife'

Called it!

 

 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Trae - get 2 steals per game ( my same goal for him as last year ) and shoot close to 40% from 3.

DJ - Become our "Joe Dumars" and be the best perimeter defender on the team

Dre - Play well enough on defense to make an All-Defensive team

JJ - Per 36 numbers last year were 14 - 10 and 3.   If he plays 26 minutes as a starter, I want him at an efficient 12 - 8 and 4 with 50% FG. We need him to be that good.  I'm not worried about his 3 point shooting this season.  If he can't shoot the 3, I want him in attack/facilitator mode

OO - Play well enough where it's beyond a shadow of a doubt that he should be the starter

Bogi - FIBA Bogi . . we all agree.  And stay healthy

Bey - Be top 5 in 3 point shooting.  He'll be playing out of position a lot ( possibly ), so his defense may not improve

Clint - Just keep doing what you do, whether you're the starter or the reserve. I'm sure he'll close some games

AJ - When your number is called, provide instant offense.  Not expecting improved defense. So just keep being an efficient scorer. And be ready if one of our wings go down.

Bruno - You know what it is. Provide that energy whenever your number is called. You'll get your shot next year. Take full advantage of it.

The Law Firm of Matthews, Matthews, and Mills - Provide that vet support on the bench.  If the injury bug hits us, show your professionalism and contribute right away

Bufkin and Gueye - Play well enough to win the G-League Championship.

 

 

[sillent]

Do I really have to say it We may be the best kept secret entering this season but it won't stay that way for long. We'll still be doubted in the post season which should fuel our fire enough for a real shot at the chip

Championship teams (especially now)

Are deep and can withstand an 82 game season

Not only have stars but also role players that play big roles in key moments. Just to hint at that AJ hit 2 game winners last yr as a rookie. Our young players and vets aren't afraid of the challenge and even excluding DejounTrae guys like Bogi, Bey and Lundy I'm confident in as well as guys like OO/Dre/Clint/JJ making big stops, rebounds and plays.

Cerebral coach that can play the chess game required to win

Chemistry, familiarity and comradery We are young but you can tell everyone enjoys each other and are on the same page in the locker room. Other teams may have an advantage on paper but on paper and on court are 2 different things.

Biggest question to me is how we will defend??? We all know defense wins championships and if we're top 10 in that department skies the limits

Of course many championships require a little bit of luck and great health or atleast healthy at the right time but it's definitely possible. The delayed dynasty might finally be here.

[Dejay]

On 10/1/2023 at 6:22 PM, kg01 said:

I measure seasons by the number of Bluey and Peppa Pig episodes I end up angrily rage-channel-switching to after/during Hawks games.

Late last season, I saw far fewer episodes, so I expect that trend to continue this season.

'Specially once BenJalen gets real minutes, right @Spud2nique?

Lol, I'm still banned from watching live games by Mrs. Dejay. It's been two years since their run to the ECFs and still...but then all things considered, it was probably for the best. Thanks God for replays...

[JayBirdHawk]

4 hours ago, Dejay said:

Lol, I'm still banned from watching live games by Mrs. Dejay. It's been two years since their run to the ECFs and still...but then all things considered, it was probably for the best. Thanks God for replays...

It's a new day...tell Mrs Dejay....It's time!

[Wretch]

Like most, I suspect that our offense is going to look 100% better.  I think there's going to be a huge improvement in shot selection from Trae.  Not to sound negative, but despite the offensive improvement...i think the theme of missed long distance opportunities against the zone will continue.  I've seen enough Dre, DJM, and Bogi not to expect anything drastic so I'm going with JJ, Bey, and to a lesser extent AJ as Xfactors here.  Someone has to give us a consistent long distance option opposite Trae.  I'm quietly hoping that OO has more in the bag offensively and not just the jumper that most are hoping for.  I'd like to see what this dude can do with his back to the basket or facing up - I'm very much encouraged by how fluid he spins and rolls in traffic to the basket.

I don't know what to expect on the defensive end.  On the plus side, DJM is solid, Trae showed improvement under Quinn, and CC/OO are consistently reliable.  On the flip side, we'll be plugging in a new starting PF and we don't know which version of Dre will show up any given night.  I honestly don't know what to expect from these guys.

[Sothron]

If we stay healthy and not counting a major trade, assuming this is our team etc...

50-32 and the 5th seed.

Trae's assists will go down but the team assists will go down. I expect to see less of Trae with the ball and more motion offense. Meaning Trae and others will be able to finally come off screens for catch and shoot chances. We already started to see Trae's defense take a HUGE step forward last season from mid Dec 2022 to the end of last season.

I expect the defense to pick up. Generally rookies are horrible on defense their first season but you start to see improvement. Jalen's true rookie season was last year. I expect him to be a big part of our team regardless if he starts or not.

The team should be much more high basketball and less take bad shots, stand around and give no effort on defense.