Can you believe it? The Atlanta Hawks are 11-2 and have the best record in the NBA. Nobody gave the Hawks any respect when it came to finishing high in the Eastern Conference (they weren’t consensus to be the 4th seed), but they have shown a maturity and different mindset as they have begun the season. I think that there are three big reasons why the Hawks are doing as well as they are.
1.Consistent core
The core of the Hawks (aka starting 5) have been working together and building their relationship with each other and now they look really comfortable on the floor. Josh Smith (draft – 1st round) has been on the Hawks since the 04-05 season, Joe Johnson (sign and trade) and Marvin Williams (draft – 1st round) have been in Atlanta since the 05-06 season. Al Horford (draft – 1st round) and Mike Bibby (trade) came during the 07-08 season. So this Atlanta Hawks team has been playing and starting together for their second full year, which has let them become comfortable and now are allowing them to just ball rather than having to play basketball.
2. Jamal Crawford trade
I loved this trade as soon as I heard about it, but I don’t think that I realized the impact this trade would have on the season and the team. Jamal Crawford is the scorer that Mike Bibby is not. I qualify that though by also saying that Bibby is still very much important to the team because Jamal Crawford isn’t (a) the ball handler that Bibby is and (b) the leader that Bibby is. So while Mike Bibby is still very important to the Hawks, Crawford is filling in the scoring shoes that the now older Mike Bibby doesn’t do as well anymore. Yes, Bibby will still hit a shot if he is wide open, but it is Crawford that can create and open up other people because of his scoring presence.
3. Josh Smith growing up
So I think that this is probably the biggest reason why the Hawks are where they are today. Through 13 games, I would have never in a million years guessed that Josh Smith would have not had a 3 point attempt this season. He is averaging 16 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2.5 blocks and is shooting 56% from the floor (last year averaged 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block less per game). He is literally a beast on the floor, not only being a force on the defensive end, but attacking the basket on the other end. I said last year that he should just attack the basket and he would be successful. He has and the Hawks are currently leading the league with points-in-the-paint, with over 50 points per game.
