Atlanta Hawks Take Big Tumble in Latest Power Rankings
It has been a rough week for the Atlanta Hawks.
They did defeat the Brooklyn Nets and the Washington Wizards, but followed it up with bad games against the Boston Celtics and getting blown out by the Cleveland Cavaliers last night.
To make matters worse, Atlanta lost Jalen Johnson to injury and he is going to be out for a few weeks. Johnson is one of the most improved players in the NBA and has been a great player defensively for the Hawks. They have been noticeably worse on that end of the floor and their rebounding is taking a hit.
Because of their latest losing streak, the Hawks have fallen in the NBA.com and ESPN Power Rankings.
Atlanta fell a couple of spots in the latest power rankings.
Here is what NBA analyst John Schumann had to say about the Hawks, who were ranked 20th:
"The Hawks’ 152 points on 108 possessions (140.7 per 100) was the most efficient performance for a losing team in more than four years (since Rockets-Wizards in Oct. 2019). Trae Young’s effective field goal percentage of 91.2% was his highest mark in 305 career games in which he’s attempted at least 15 shots.
Young did keep things going to a certain degree. He shot 13-for-24 from 3-point range over the next to games and the Hawks’ four games last week were four of the six times this season that he’s registered an effective field goal percentage over 50%. He made two shots for the lead in the final minute of overtime in the Hawks’ rest-disadvantage win over Brooklyn on Wednesday.
A fracture in the left wrist of Jalen Johnson is a big setback for one of the best development stories in the league this season. Johnson has thrived in a larger role, seeing huge jumps in both his per-game numbers and his shooting stats. He’s also a terrific passer for his size, the kind of player that can grab a rebound, take off down the floor and make a play if he’s not coasting to the rim himself.
Saddiq Bey replaced Johnson in the starting lineup on Sunday when the Hawks got off to a slow start (four points on their first eight possessions) in Boston and suffered their second wire-to-wire defeat of the season.
With that, the Hawks have lost their last five games against teams that currently have winning records. They’ll play two more games against that group this week, having won in Milwaukee (where they’ll be on Saturday) in Week 1."
Atlanta lost by 23 points last night to Cleveland
ESPN had the Hawks ranked 18th and here is what analyst Andrew Lopez had to say about Atlanta:
"With Jalen Johnson set to miss time with a left distal radius fracture, Atlanta has turned back to Saddiq Bey to return to the starting lineup. Bey started three of the first five games of the season for Atlanta before Johnson took over as the full-time starter, and he averaged more points coming off the bench (12.5 points per game) than as a starter (11). The 24-year-old wing, averaging 12 and 6 in 28 minutes per game, is shooting a career-high 62% on 2s and will now have a chance to make an even greater impact as the Hawks play seven of their next nine on the road."
Atlanta is going to have to figure out how to play without Johnson or their season might start going downhill.
Atlanta continues its road trip tomorrow in San Antonio vs Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs.
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