Hawks Basketball: Quin Snyder Details Atlanta's Struggles Defending The Three-Point Shot vs Washington

Washington has shot the ball well from three in two games vs Atlanta this week

Oct 28, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder reacts on the bench during the game against the Washington Wizards during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

One of the goals of the Atlanta Hawks this offseason was to improve on defense. Atlanta had one of the worst defenses in the league a year ago and to try and win more games this year, they worked to improve that by adding players such as Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher. Through five games this season, the Hawks have improved defensive numbers in terms of overall field goal percentage, but there has been one glaring weakness for Atlanta this season so far and that has been the three-point defense.

The Hawks are currently giving up the most three point attempts per game and the highest field goal percentage in the NBA right now. In the second half of both games against the Wizards, it was arguably the biggest reason they lost. In game one, Washington shot 48% from three and on Wednesday night, they shot 42%.

After the game, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder was talking about the Hawks struggles with that, as well as the 36-point third quarter that the Wizards had on Wednesday:

"They've got some guards that we had a hard time staying in front of consistently and it's hard when the ball is driven into the paint. It's hard to get rotations and get to shooters and the thing that we have to, you know, really be mindful be mindful of some of those things that we have more control over, whether it's getting back on defense, and those are consistent themes for us that I think we care about and we're working on, but when they've made runs, those are usually the things, not getting stops and then converting the other way, and that's a collective thing.

Both, you know, they've shot the ball well against us, you know, if you're shooting 42% from three, but those were open shots. I thought when our offense sputtered, you know, they were converting And they run. They do a good job of that. So we need more in those situations. And right now, I just want to see us compete. And I thought we did that."

Atlanta led by eight at the half, but it quickly disappeared for the second straight game and the Wizards got hot from three. In the second half, Washington shot 60% from the field and 47% from three. In the fourth quarter alone, Washington shot 70% from the field and 67% from three. Jonas Valanciunas, Bilal Coulibaly, Corey Kispert, Bub Carrington, and Jordan Poole were all in double digits in the second half. The Hawks were without their top defenders in Dyson Daniels and De'Andre Hunter, but allowing the Wizards to do the same thing to you in the second half as they did Monday is inexcusable. Atlanta has improved on defense by most metrics, but the three-point defense is the worst in the NBA right now.

Additional Links:

RECAP: Wizards Use Another Strong Second Half-Run To Defeat Atlanta 133-120

Atlanta Hawks Make Important Contract Decisions On Dyson Daniels and Kobe Bufkin