Dallas Basketball

Breakdown of Hawks' Lineup Ahead of Mavs' Monday Matchup

Atlanta is 7-10 on the season and looking to bounce back after two straight losses.

Keenan Womack

Apr 4, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) brings the ball up court against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Apr 4, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) brings the ball up court against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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Tonight, the Mavericks travel to Atlanta to take on the 7-10 Hawks, a team that has lost three of its last four contests and is looking to get right against Dallas at home. Atlanta is off of two days' rest, and at the healthiest they have been all season after getting Bogdan Bogdanovic back from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for several games. Despite their losing record, the Hawks are in the early playoff picture in a weaker Eastern Conference, sitting at the seventh seed at three games below .500.

The Hawks are led on offense by point guard Trae Young, who is averaging 22.1 points and 11.7 assists per game, though struggling mightily with his shooting efficiency in 2024, which is atypical of him considering his numbers in past seasons. He's just 35.7% from the field and 32.4% from deep so far, the first of which would be a career-low over his seven NBA campaigns. He has been forced to carry the offensive load in a lot of situations, which has led to difficult shot attempts that have affected his percentages.

READ MORE: Mavericks at Hawks: How to Watch, TV, Time, Odds, & Preview

Shooting guard Dyson Daniels, acquired in the Dejounte Murray trade with the Pelicans this offseason, has been very important to what Atlanta does on the defensive side of the ball. Elite at pressuring opposing guards and wings due to his lateral quickness and his length, Daniels has been extremely impactful for the Hawks in his debut season and is a likely candidate for the NBA's Most Improved Player Award. He has seen massive increases across the board statistically while being the Hawks' best perimeter defender, averaging 14.2 points per game in 33.6 minutes compared to 5.8 in 22.3 minutes last year with New Orleans.

At wing, rookie Zaccharie Risacher has started 15 of the Hawks' 17 games, and though he is finding his footing and role in the offense, he has had trouble being an efficient scorer overall. He's shooting just 38.9% from the field and 24.7% from three, and while he has gotten to the line fairly consistently for a rookie, he is only converting on 69.2% of his 3.1 attempts. He has a high ceiling as the first-overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, but needs more time to settle in and improve his handle in order to attack the rim, as much of his shot diet consists of contested jumpers.

READ MORE: Will Klay Thompson Play in Mavericks-Hawks?

The other forward spot will be held down by Jalen Johnson, who has had a monster 2024, averaging career highs in points (19.4), rebounds (10.4), and assists (5.3). He has arguably been the Hawks' most consistent player this season, despite his three-point shot not falling (33.8% on 4.6 attempts). His athletic pop makes him a transition threat, averaging 1.39 points per shot on the break according to Synergy Sports.

Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu are the post players, with Capela starting most games but playing about the same amount of time that Okongwu does (roughly 23 minutes). Capela is a rim-running big, but one whose age is beginning to show; Okongwu is a standard defensive post and play-finisher who patrols the paint. While younger, Okongwu is still not as impactful as Capela is as a rebounder, but both bigs will get playing time tonight as they contend with the Mavericks' own tandem of centers.

READ MORE: Mavericks Fall in Overtime to Miami Heat, 123-118

The bench unit will feature the aforementioned Bogdanovic, as well as De'Andre Hunter, Garrison Matthews, David Roddy, Keaton Wallace, Larry Nance Jr., and Kobe Bufkin – Atlanta plays 14 players at least 12 minutes per game so far this year, some of which has been due to injury. Like the Heat and Warriors, the deep bench rotation means that Dallas will have to deal with fresh energy in the second unit. Given the Hawks' proclivity for getting into the fast break (70th percentile in transition possessions according to Synergy), it would benefit the Mavericks to slow down the pace in this game.

Dallas will once again be without Luka Doncic, meaning they will have to rely upon Kyrie Irving and company to once again get a victory without their primary scoring threat. If they can force Young and Risacher into tough shots by limiting dribble penetration, which would in hand prevent easy lobs to the bigs, Dallas should be able to bounce back from their overtime loss to Miami.

READ MORE: A Painful Move the Dallas Mavericks Need to Make

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Keenan Womack
KEENAN WOMACK

Keenan Womack is a sportswriter native to Dallas, Texas, who has spent the last 12 years in Austin, the home of his alma mater, the University of Texas. Keenan has covered sports for SB Nation, Bleacher Report, Rivals/Orangebloods, a host of his own sites and now, Fan Nation. Focusing on basketball, Keenan was on the beat for the Longhorns hoops team for the last two-and-a-half years before moving on to pursue other opportunities. He is married and lives with his wife close to the Moody Center, so they can continue to catch games together.

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