Did The Hawks Do Enough To Improve Their Defense?

The Atlanta Hawks had one of the worst defenses in the NBA. How much better did it get this offseason?

Apr 16, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) dribbles against New Orleans Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels (11) during the second half of a play-in game of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

It goes without saying that defensive improvement would be a priority of the Hawks' off-season strategy. They finished with the NBA's fourth-worst defensive rating, which encapsulated the struggles they had on that end. The futility of the defense became especially unbearable after the All-Star break, where they were historically bad at stopping other offenses for long stretches of February and March.

Quite simply, Atlanta wasn't able to hold up from anywhere on the court. The defense finished in the bottom-five for field goal percentage allowed on three-pointers, two-pointers and 6-15 feet from the basket. It would be a Herculean effort to fix all of that in one offseason, so the odds of Atlanta suddenly becoming a top-five defensive unit are pretty limited.

It is also true that any unit with Trae Young at point guard is going to have defensive struggles. Young showed more effort on that end of the floor, but the advanced numbers didn't paint the best picture. He upped his steal percentage to a career-high 1.8%, but his defensive box plus-minus and defensive win shares both declined from last season. Therefore, Atlanta's strategy of adding more size around Young to limit his own shortcomings from being a smaller point guard seemed sound.

They did that in the form of Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher. Daniels has built a reputation as one of the NBA's most tenacious defenders. His quickness and feel on that end of the floor make him intimidating both at the point-of-attack and in transition. He was one of the Pelicans' best defenders last year and I see no reason why that cannot continue to be true in Atlanta. It certainly carried over to the Olympics. After watching his games there, I had this to say:

"His frame, active hands and instincts looked especially impressive in the games against Spain and Canada. Even though he is listed as a guard, he had no problem matching up against a big wing like Canada's R.J Barrett or a bigger guard like Canada's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He can fight over screens, get into passing lanes and does not bite on obvious fakes. Look no further than his performance against Spanish guard Lorenzo Brown, who finished 3-10 with seven turnovers after being guarded by Daniels for a significant portion of the game."

His offensive game is still a bit of a question mark, but he showed better passing and some small improvements as a shooter. If his offense is good enough to keep him on the floor, I think he's a very capable backcourt partner for Young and should be able to handle the challenging defensive assignments Young struggles with at times.

Risacher is more of an unknown on defense. It was definitely a strong part of his game when he played for JL Bourg in France. As a 18-year old playing against professionals, he showed quick hands, good foot speed (albeit inconsistent) and looked very comfortable as a point-of-attack defender. In the small, two game sample that we saw of him in Summer League, he showed defensive flashes. He can chase players around screens, guard in space and generally held up on the perimeter.

I also think the addition of Larry Nance will help the defense as well. Nance isn't the most imposing defender and is older, but has a good basketball IQ. I especially like what he brings as a help defender and communicator. Missed defensive rotations will not be a problem with Nance. He is going to be less effective against strong big men or quicker wings, but there's no question that he can be a helpful defender.

Given those improvements, I'd say the Hawks did enough to improve their defense to being an average to slightly below average unit. Daniels will be a great perimeter and transition defender while Risacher has plenty of promise on that end. If the defense can be average, Atlanta's elite offense should be able to power them to a playoff spot in 2024-25.