The optimism that the Hawks held when the season began 23 games ago has helped lift them into the top six in the Eastern Conference with a 12-11 record.
They’ve won their past five games, have a 9-6 conference record and a shot at making it to Las Vegas for the NBA Cup.
The Hawks have shown much improvement throughout the season and have begun to find some consistency.
But they’re still a young team, and they’ll look to keep building winning habits to ensure they improve on their early exit from the postseason last year.
Here, we revisit the five keys to the season that we listed in mid-October:
Offensive efficiency when Trae Young sits
The Hawks struggled initially this season when Trae Young wasn’t on the floor. Those troubles haven’t totally evaporated as they deploy a by-committee playmaking strategy when he goes to the bench.
Early in the season, the Hawks had injuries to several players in the rotation, and they leaned on two-way guard Keaton Wallace for minutes off the bench. Wallace, with guard Dyson Daniels and forward Jalen Johnson, provided the Hawks a major lift when Young missed the team’s NBA Cup win over the Boston Celtics.
The Hawks have seen the return of sophomore guard Kobe Bufkin, as well as wing Bogdan Bogdanovic back in the rotation. Plus, things have started to click, with the bench allowing for the Hawks to rest Young for a few longer stints.
Commitment to defensive intensity
It’s fair to say that the Hawks committed to having energy on the defensive end of the floor. In the past five games, the Hawks have the second-best defense behind only the Timberwolves.
Sparked by the league’s inaugural Defensive Player of the Month, Daniels, the Hawks have adopted a relentless energy. They’ve held teams to an average of 116.6 points per game through 23 games.
They rank second in the NBA in steals per game, up from 16th last season, and they’re using it to generate their offense.
The Hawks have capitalized on the length and size they added on the perimeter in the offseason in Daniels, often matching him on the opposing team’s best wings. His efforts on defense have allowed the Hawks to cut down on their opponents’ production at the rim.
Patience with Zaccharie Risacher’s development
The rookie has remained poised thanks to his experience as a professional in Europe. The cadence of the NBA schedule and the ability to play a game almost every night has allowed the 19-year-old to adjust to the speed of the NBA game at a rate that has made him feel comfortable.
Through 23 games, Risacher has played steadily, averaging 11.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 24 minutes per game. He’s had career nights, too, including a 33-point performance against the Knicks.
But Risacher truly has shined on defense, playing well above the expectations of a player his age. That’s not to say that Risacher has not had rookie lapses, but his effort on defense continues to earn him minutes.
Plus, his length and size have given the Hawks versatility on defense.
Remaining as healthy as possible
An early injury bug derailed the first 13 games of the season, with the Hawks playing without Bogdanovic, Bufkin, De’Andre Hunter and Vit Krejci for significant time.
But with their returns to the lineup in mid-November, the Hawks mostly have run clean injury reports over the past 11 games. They took a cautious approach when initially integrating the recently healthy players back into the lineup, holding them out of the first or second night of back-to-back games.
Their return to the lineup has brought good fortune to the Hawks, though they’ve gone 6-5 over the past 11 games. It also includes five consecutive wins.
Breakouts from key rotational players
The Hawks were expected to need big seasons from everyone in the rotation, and they’re getting them.
Johnson has followed his breakout from the previous season, putting up more career numbers. Though his shot volume has increased, the 22-year-old’s efficiency barely has dipped. He’s confidently made shots from deep, making 36% of his 4.5 3-point attempts. It’s led to a career average of 20.1 points per game to go with his 9.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists.
Since his return to the rotation, Hunter has put up a strong case to be in the running for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award. He’s helped to shape the Hawks’ second unit into one of the most productive in the league, with that unit trailing only the Grizzlies in points per game.
Hunter has averaged 18.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, all while shooting a career-best 40.8% from 3.
He’s gotten plenty of help from Bogdanovic, who continues to threaten defenses from deep. But Bogdanovic also has stepped up on defense, including a career-best five steals in the team’s win over the Bucks on Wednesday night.
The team also has gotten some strong performances out of their big men in Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu. Capela has continued to give the Hawks great rim protection, while Okongwu has provided the Hawks with a strong closer off the bench.
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