The top two assist teams in the NBA last season were the Spurs and the Hawks.
It was not a coincidence.
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer brought a system to Atlanta after spending 19 seasons in San Antonio. The system was refined to fit the personnel of the Hawks but one thing was non-negotiable – pass the basketball. The Hawks offense is predicated on ball movement and unselfish play.
“Sometimes you have to turn down a good shot to get a great shot,” Paul Millsap said.
The philosophy was evident in the numbers.
Last season, the Hawks ranked second in the NBA and first in the Eastern Conference with 24.9 assists per game. Only the champion Spurs averaged more at 25.2 assists per game. The Hawks had at least 20 assist in 74 of the 82-game regular season. They had 25-or-more assists 41 times and 30-or-more 13 times.
The Hawks recorded assists on an NBA-best 66.7 percent (2041 of 3061) of their made baskets.
It appears the Hawks have picked up where they left off. During the preseason, the Hawks averaged 25.4 assists per game, again second in the NBA and first in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks finished with a preseason-high 29 assists in their impressive exhibition finale, a 117-107 win at the Spurs last week at included a 42-point third quarter. Next is the regular-season opener at the Raptors Wednesday.
Budenholzer and players said the Hawks success sharing the basketball is several-fold – the system, a roster of unselfish players, players with court vision, versatile big men. However, the most practical explanation is the old adage ‘Practice makes perfect.’
“We practice and drill,” Budenholzer said, giving credit to the players and coaching staff. “I like to think of it as a quarterback in football. There are different reads and there are different coverages that most of the league uses and there are different things that they are going to see and have to make quick, split-second decisions. They get a lot of reps in making those decisions and seeing those cuts and seeing those shooters. … I think we have players that have that ability to make good, quick decisions. We practice it. We work on the reps. We work on the spacing. We work on the reads. Then, they have the ability to go out and execute it.”
The Hawks franchise record for assists in a season is 2,846, set in 1980-81. The collection of willing passers began three years ago with the hire of general manager Danny Ferry. The Hawks compiled 2007 assists in 2012-13, the final year with Larry Drew as head coach. It was the first time in 19 seasons the team eclipsed the 2000-assist mark (2,056 in 1993-94). The Hawks had assembled a core of players including Al Horford, Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver. The additions of Elton Brand, DeMarre Carroll, Pero Antic and Millsap and the development of players such as Mike Scott furthered the progression. The Hawks return 13 players this season that totaled the 2,041 assists.
“The more we do it, the better we get at our reads and the more we don’t over dribble the ball,” Korver said. “Passing is contagious. If you are on a team where there are three, four, five, six, seven, eight passes down the court, no one wants to be the one guy the ball sticks with if you have that kind of team. It turns contagious. You can still over pass but I feel like we still have a lot to get better at but we have a good start of willing passers and a system where guys are making good reads.
“We don’t have a one-on-one system. When there is one-on-one playing, that’s contagious too because then it turns into your turn, my turn, I haven’t shot the ball in a quarter, I want to get one up. It’s drilled in us that the ball needs to hop, play with the pass, don’t pound the ball.”
There are differences between the Spurs and Hawks willingness to share the basketball. Both begin the play of the point guard, for the Hawks meaning Teague. In particular, Budenholzer pointed to the versatility of the Hawks big men. Horford, Millsap, Antic, Brand, Scott and new additions Mike Muscala and rookie Adreian Payne can play away from the basket and pass the ball. While some see the similarities of Horford and Millsap as a negative, Budenholzer sees it as a positive in their versatility and ability to beat second-line defenders.
“It starts with unselfish players and players who understand how effective ball movement can be to win and, hopefully, win at a high level, meaning in the playoffs,” Budenholzer said. “It takes more of a team concept that is going to give some of us the best chance to be successful. I think you have to have unselfish players, players with high basketball I.Q.s and they have to really trust each other and trust that everybody is going to participate in it. They will reap the benefits of it if they participate in it.”
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