Five Takeaways from Hawks Win Over Magic

Five takeaways from the Atlanta Hawks victory over Orlando Magic on Friday night.

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Last night the Atlanta Hawks improved to 2-0 after defeating divisional foe Orlando Magic. The Hawks covered the spread after closing the game well in the fourth quarter. However, the game was not always pretty.

It is still October, so we should refrain from making sweeping declarations. But we can safely say this year's Hawks roster is much better constructed than last season's squad. Below are our five biggest takeaways from last night.

Rotation

Now that we are two games in, we have a clear picture of how Hawks head coach Nate McMillan plans to utilize his roster this season. McMillan's rotation goes nine deep. Trae Young and/or Dejounte Murray will always be on the floor.

As others have pointed out, Young is almost always paired with starting center Clint Capela. Last season, the combo led the league in points off pick-and-rolls, so there is a lot of existing chemistry between the two players.

John Collins

John Collins had another great game. The newly-elected team captain scored an efficient 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Through two games, Collins is shooting 83.3% from three and 100% from the foul line.

JC put in that full-court work last night 🔥

📊 23 PTS | 13 REB | 3 STL@jcollins20_ x @UPS pic.twitter.com/wTyHnXrHud

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) October 22, 2022

Defense

The Hawks defeated the Magic because of their defense. Last season, the outcome of Hawks games depended on how many points they could put on the board - an unreliable factor.

Through two games, the Hawks have the third-best defensive rating (99.0) in the league. Only the Milwaukee Bucks (92.6) and Los Angeles Clippers (91.5) have played better defense to start the season.

Offense

The Hawks offense is not bad, but it is still a work in progress. The Magic stayed in the game last night, thanks to the Hawks' turnovers and poor shooting.

The Hawks are 17th in the offensive rating (108.2), a far cry from last year's second-best 115.2 offensive rating. The good news is only three teams are turning the ball over less than the Hawks. There is no doubt the team's offense will self-correct after getting more time to gel.

Free Throws

Last night, the Hawks shot 15-16 (93.8%) from the charity stripe. The good news is they lead the NBA with a total average of 87.5%. The bad news is they are not getting to the line nearly enough. 

The Hawks are averaging 20 free throw attempts per game, which is 25th in the NBA. Following last night's game, Coach McMillan chided his team for settling instead of attacking the zone. Again, this is another area that will surely improve with time.

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