Three Things I Liked, Three Things I Disliked About the Atlanta Hawks This Past Week

The Hawks started the week off strong with two straight wins over the 76ers and Hornets, but then dropped their games against the Nets and the Hornets.

Mar 16, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson (2) is defended by Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) during the second half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks are entering the last part of their schedule and they are in a tight race for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta is currently the seventh seed in the East, but the Magic are only 0.5 games behind them. The Miami Heat could also make a jump up from 2.5 games back to take the top spot in the play-in tournament away from the Hawks.

During this past week, the Hawks went .500 by winning two games against the Philadelphia 76ers and the Charlotte Hornets before getting blown out by the Clippers and embarassed by a shorthanded Nets team yesterday. Atlanta deserves some credit for taking care of business against a weakened 76ers team and a talent-deficient Hornets squad. However, it's inexcusable to drop a game by eight points against one of the worst teams in basketball without two of their best scorers in D'Angelo Russell and Cam Thomas. I also expected a more competitive performance against the Clippers, who ran over Atlanta's defense in the third quarter as the Hawks' offense sputtered and stalled.

With that being said, here are three things I liked and disliked from last week's slate of Hawks basketball.

Liked: Onyeka Okongwu Is Making His Presence Felt

Earlier in his career, one could argue that Okongwu felt like an afterthought in the Hawks offense and never really stood out on that end. His defense and shot blocking were usually quite solid, but the lack of a reliable three-point shot and self-creation limitations held him back from being a bigger part of the Hawks' offense. He's responded to those concerns by dishing out a career-high 2.2 assists and it's helped him stay engaged on offense. They are not always simple passes either - he has a good sense for passing into space and setting his teammates up rather than just getting them the ball. His rebounding has also been better - he's averaging a career-high 3.0 offensive rebounds and posted a double-double in both of Atlanta's last two games. In a game that Atlanta lost by eight points, Okongwu was a +9 and killed Brooklyn on the boards, grabbing 15 rebounds to make himself the only player on either side to grab 10+ rebounds. His block percentage of 3.4% is still a career-low, but it's easy to see his defensive impact. The Hawks had an elite defensive rating of 107 when Okongwu was on the court last night.

Disliked: Dyson Daniels' Shooting

Dyson Daniels has been one of the best defenders in the NBA, but it's really been his offensive growth that has allowed him to become one of Atlanta's best pieces. His improvements as a shooter (34.4% from deep after shooting 31.1% last season) have been impressive. As of late, those shots haven't been falling. In his last three games, he is 1 for 7 from deep and had back-to-back games where he didn't connect on a single three-pointer (0-6 in those games). Daniels is likely not going to be a player that shoots a lot of threes, but he has to find his spots carefully and convert on the looks that he does get. It should be noted that his passing has stood out as of late and he still gives the Hawks a ton on defense. However, he does need to get back into a groove as a shooter.

Liked: Transition Play

It obviously helps when there's a DPOY candidate on the team who leads the NBA in steals, but the Hawks have been quite good at forcing steals as of late. Dyson Daniels is a large part of why the Hawks are 2nd in the league in steals per game (9.9), but it doesn't hurt that this team played excellent in transition against the Clippers before their dismal third quarter, forcing six turnovers in the first quarter alone. They also had 12 steals against Brooklyn and 13 against Charlotte. Since Atlanta doesn't really have the defensive pieces to shut down opposing perimeter scorers, they have to be active in forcing turnovers.

Disliked: Poor Bench Games

Dominick Barlow has been thrust into the backup center role in the last few games with Clint Capela out and Larry Nance still injured. He has had nice stints, but he was a team-worst -17 in 15 minutes against Brooklyn. It isn't just him - Georges Niang followed up a zero-point outing against the Clippers with a rough night of shooting, going 2-9 from three. Terance Mann was 5-12 from the field and -15 in the 25 minutes that he played. Vit Krejci was probably the best bench player last night, but he was not enough to change the course of the game. Atlanta's bench seems to be very reliant on Caris LeVert as he missed yesterday's game and could not provide the scoring punch Atlanta needed to edge out Brooklyn. However, the Hawks bench also struggled against the Clippers. It's going to be a problem if Atlanta can't get good performances out of its second unit when the games start to matter more.

Liked: Risacher Rounding Into Form

While it may sound strange because Atlanta is in the playoff mix, Zaccharie Risacher's development this season is the most important thing to track for the Hawks' future. The health of Jalen Johnson and the outcomes of the two 2025 first-round picks Atlanta owns are also critical parts of the team's future, but Risacher developing into an All-Star level player changes the trajectory of the franchise. To be clear, he hasn't done that. However, it's hard not to notice how much better he is at operating within the flow of the offense. Against the Clippers, he made his first four shots and ended with 15 points while grabbing seven rebounds. Risacher collected 16 points in the Brooklyn game despite only shooting 2-8 from deep. He has also made at least one three-pointer in all of his past four games, which is a stark change from his frequent cold stretches from deep. His finishing at the rim does need to improve - he's only connecting on 62.4% of his shots at the rim. Ideally, he should finish his rookie year somewhere close to the 70% mark. However, Risacher has been one of the better parts of the Hawks throughout the past four games.

Disliked: Suspectible to Guards

It's one thing to give up 25 points to a future first-ballot Hall of Famer in James Harden. The Hawks didn't really have an answer for the 35-year old guard, who picked Atlanta apart as a scorer and passer. It is also understandable to give up 25 points to LaMelo Ball. However, letting Keon Johnson go for 22 yesterday and Quentin Grimes hang 35 on the defense is a sign that Atlanta needs to get its act together when it comes to its perimeter defense. It's understandable that the Hawks are shorthanded right now, but this trend cannot continue in the postseason. It isn't as simple as just having a strong rim protector. The close-outs on threes and overall communication/execution of the defensive scheme needs to improve so that the Hawks can at least hold onto some leads rather than always playing catch-up.

Additional Links

Three Big Takeaways From Atlanta's Embarrassing Loss to Brooklyn

Dyson Daniels Accomplishes Rare NBA Feat In Atlanta's Loss to Brooklyn

NBA Trade Rumors: Portland Trail Blazers Center Named As Potential Trade Target For Atlanta This Offseason