Do Hawks Need To Make A Trade To Improve Their Defense?

Atlanta had one of the worst defenses in the NBA last season

Apr 9, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) drives on Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela (15) in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Hawks have never had a good defense over the past few seasons, but last year they nearly were the worst defense in the NBA. Whenever you hear anyone talk about the Hawks on defense, it always revolves around Trae Young and what he is able to or not able to do on that end of the court, but the he was not the only weak point on the Hawks defense. Dejounte Murray was not the defender that the Hawks hoped he would be, Clint Capela has lost a step in terms of his overall defense, and De'Andre Hunter is not the premier wing defender that Atlanta hoped he would be when they drafted him.

The Hawks needed to improve their defense coming into the season and they set out to do that. They acquired Dyson Daniels from the Pelicans in the Dejounte Murray trade and they drafted Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 pick in hopes he could help their defense. If they can get healthy seasons from Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, Clint Capela, and De'Andre Hunter, they could see improvement on that end.

Do they still need to make moves though? Bleacher Report Analyst Dan Favale made the case:

"Whether the Atlanta Hawks belong in a discussion reserved for playoff hopefuls is certainly up for argument. But they won the minutes Trae Young logged without Dejounte Murray last year, and more critically, they don't control the rights to their next three first-round picks. Their incentives to exist outside this exercise do not exist.

Offensive relevancy won't be an issue. That's the luxury of having Young and Bogdan Bogdanović and Jalen Johnson.

Defense is another story. Atlanta finished 26th in points allowed per possession last year and doesn't have the personnel to suggest it'll be much stingier now. Dyson Daniels is better suited to be the primary stopper compared to Murray, but his offensive impact can be muted if he spends too much time off the ball. Zaccharie Risacher may one day be a capable perimeter checker, but it's unrealistic to count on his excelling as a rookie.

Vit Krejčí is solid. And the Hawks have a nice meld of presences at the basket and frontline versatility with Johnson, Clint Capela, Larry Nance Jr. and Onyeka Okongwu. But ball containment projects to be a major issue on most nights unless Atlanta completely dispenses with offensive-oriented units.

Shifting this outlook likely requires the addition of a wing or combo forward who, at least for now, qualifies as a two-way upgrade over Daniels and Risacher yet can also play beside one or both of them without mandating the Hawks too aggressively downsize."

Our own Rohan Raman looked into the question of if the Hawks have done enough to improve their defense this offseason:

"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

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."

I think the Hawks should be better on that end of the floor, but if they are not, they are going to struggle to make it to the postseason.