The Hawks have won their past three games and are five matchups into the season. So when they head on the road for their first extended trip, they’ll get a better sense of where they stand when it comes to consistency.
“I think it’s a good barometer for us,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “After losing a couple, then winning a couple, you know, there’s always a tendency to have slippage and, to be on the road, and to kind of fight that process and against some tough competition in some typical places to play.”
Those past three games showed many facets of the team’s growth under the guidance of Snyder. They handed the Bucks a wire-to-wire defeat Sunday, then fought back from a 19-point halftime deficit to defeat the Timberwolves one day later. Then they almost let their game against the Wizards slip away after a flat start, but they held on.
The Hawks’ next three opponents will look to challenge the Hawks in every way.
First, they face the Pelicans, whose big three of CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson have averaged 20 or more points this season. The three will look to wreak havoc on the Hawks at all three levels, with Williamson looking to punish them at the rim.
The Hawks fared well against the Pelicans in their exhibition matchup last month. Now, though, the Pelicans have won four of their first five games and are fresh off of a convincing win over the Pistons on Thursday.
Then it’s on to Oklahoma City, where the Hawks will face the high-powered Thunder, who are led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, before wrapping up against the Magic in Mexico City.
With this week’s trip, the Hawks not only will look to get out to a strong start in each of their matchups, but they also will have to execute strongly to close the game.
While the Hawks are riding the confidence of three consecutive victories, they also remind themselves that they’re looking to build good habits that will have lasting effects on them.
“I think it’s a daily habit, you know, coming into practice, doing the things you need to do, watching film, working on your personal game in your own time,” Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter. “Just all those things I think just come together. You know when you’re on a streak like this, you have confidence, and confidence is always the biggest thing for a player, and coaches as well.”
In his first five games, Hunter has averaged 18 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per matchup. He’s shooting the ball well, too, as he finds ways to attack the rim and take advantage of the system that Snyder has implemented. Hunter has made 55.2% of his overall shots from the floor while knocking down 40.7% of his 3-point attempts.
“It just allows me to play my game, you know?” Hunter said. “He’s allowing me to be confident. He doesn’t care if I make or miss shots. He just wants me to shoot. Just having that confidence from your coach, it just makes me that much more confident.”
Hunter’s aggressive approach to the game this season has allowed him to attack and finish at the rim, but also to get to his spots and knock down shots from midrange. Snyder also has been pleased with Hunter’s defensive approach this season.
“People look at his offense, and really, he’s been really good defensively,” Snyder said. “Both, you know, individually, playing screening actions, guarding the ball. But also he’s been one of the best guys within a help position with being shifted and not being late in situations and rebounding. So, I agree, he looks comfortable. I think, you know, some of the work that he’s put in, you can see it on the court.
The Hawks have taken advantage of Hunter’s confidence, as well as the growing confidence of the rest of the rotation. So far, eight players average 10 or more points per game.
That gives the Hawks the opportunity to be a little more flexible with rotations as Snyder and the coaching staff continue to figure out what works and what doesn’t. For Snyder, it has been a bonus that the players on the roster have embraced that.
“I think I’ve mentioned this before, that when your players are amenable to those types of changes, you know, one, it makes it easier as a coach to do it,” Snyder said. “And secondly, usually it’s a sign of their ability to execute and their commitment to execute.”
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