But the Hawks might be too deep (and bench-curious) for their own good. Trae Young hasn't struggled to exist amid the new officiating as much as fellow free-throw-monger James Harden. Foes are shooting 73.4 percent at the cup when he plays without Collins.Ītlanta is far from irreparable. His finishing around the cup is way down, and rival offenses aren't as deterred by him at the other end. They've plunged to the bottom five of points allowed per possession and are letting opponents shoot nearly 70 percent around the rim-the league's worst mark.Ĭlint Capela looks.off. Their defense is a larger concern either way. Can the Hawks sustain a top-10 offense while placing in the bottom-five of the share of their shots that come at the rim and from deep? They shouldn't try to find out. Talent has preserved their offensive returns. They have racked up plenty of nights where they look bad but also have games where they just seem to be floating, aimlessly, toward absolutely nothing. 500 before the quarter-mark is a gigantic letdown for one of last year's two Eastern Conference Finals participants. But enough basketball has also been played for us to break out the red pen, without hesitation, and treat most of what we've seen to date as each organization's normal.īanking some wins over the past week helps the Atlanta Hawks elude a disastrous grade, but we can't soon forget the stretch in which they lost eight of nine. Teams have time to meet, exceed and, yes, tumble below expectations. Roughly one-quarter of the season is in the books. Recent developments will be considered, but this is an assessment of the entire year. Individual performances, lineup decisions, play styles, extracurricular distractions and miscues, strength of schedules, surprises and disappointments, among other things, all factor into final impressions. Just about everything under the sun is subject to judgment. Valid excuses will soften the blow for any squads that seem like underachievers. It absolutely matters that Zion Williamson has yet to play for the New Orleans Pelicans, and that the Milwaukee Bucks rotation has spent much of the year ravaged by injuries. Bad teams that were supposed to be bad will not be judged as harshly as should-be good teams that are, so far, not good.Ĭircumstances beyond organizational control will be accounted for wherever necessary. Each squad will be evaluated on their own individual scale.
Remember this sentiment as we navigate early-season report card grades for every NBA team.
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