Before last season the Hawks said they wanted to run the fast break more often. It was easy to see why.
Atlanta had fast, athletic players at every position, notably forward Josh Smith. And yet the Hawks finished last season ranked just 11th out of 15 Eastern Conference teams in the percentage of possessions used (shot, free throw or turnover) in transition, according to Synergy Sports Technology.
The Hawks return nearly all of those same athletic players and are again planning to run more.
That's where Jeff Teague comes in.
“It’s perfect for me,” Teague said. “That’s the big thing I tried to come in and preach to the guys when I got here [for training camp] is I want to start pushing the ball.”
Teague, 22, is one of the fastest players in the league and he got out on the break at a higher rate than any of his teammates last season. But he played just 963 of the 3,280 available minutes at point guard during the regular season before blossoming in the playoffs against Chicago.
Now, with Kirk Hinrich recovering from shoulder surgery and free agent Jamal Crawford set to sign elsewhere, Teague is the unquestioned starter at point guard. He is set to play the bulk of his minutes alongside Smith, Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams and Al Horford.
There won't be many teams faster from one through five.
“They all can get up and down the floor, which gives us a tremendous advantage in transition if we commit to the run, which I am really trying to get these guys to do,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said. “Jeff can really exchange ends. Joe can run. Marvin can run. Josh Smith is a deer and Al is probably as fast as any five man in the league.”
Last season the Hawks actually ranked seventh in the East in transition field-goal percentage and tied for sixth in points per possession on the break, according to Synergy. Running more is a good plan for the Hawks because they struggled to get efficient shots in the half court.
They could be even more efficient on fast breaks if they could cut down on their turnovers. Atlanta ranked last in the East in the percentage of breaks that ended with turnovers, according to Synergy.
Smith was the leading offender but a video review of his 45 turnovers in transition showed when he got the rebound and took off, Atlanta's guards often lagged behind. Smith, a good ball handler in the open court, ran fast breaks himself but they tended to end with what Drew called “hero” passes that clanged off the backboard or sailed out of bounds.
Atlanta's fast break should benefit from Teague now playing regularly alongside Smith. Smith can give the ball to Teague and run to the rim, where he is hard to stop: Last season Smith shot 69.8 percent in transition, induced fouls 14.3 percent of the time and had 15 and-1s, according to Synergy.
Horford and Williams are efficient transition scorers and also should benefit from Teague running the break since they weren't involved very often last season. But no one should gain more from running with Teague than Smith, who is among the best finishers in the league.
And that was before Smith shed about 30 pounds in the offseason. His teammates have raved about how much faster Smith has become.
Drew thinks Johnson and Williams should be better on the boards, particularly since each has plus size for their respective positions: Johnson is a 6-foot-7 shooting guard, Williams a 6-9 small forward.
“There is no reason those guys can’t become better rebounders,” Drew said. “They have the size. They have the bodies. Rebounding is a dirty job. We are going to challenge them.”
That's the final part of the blueprint for how the Hawks, flush with players who can run, might meet Drew's desire to "make it a habit."
Send Smith to the rim. Get Williams and Horford more involved. Prod Johnson and Williams to rebound more so there will be more opportunities for fast breaks.
And, of course, give it to Teague and let him lead the charge.
“It starts with Jeff Teague,” Johnson said. “He is going to ignite it and we will help him.”
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