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3 Concerning Trends Emerging for Hawks Early This Season
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- 3 Concerning Trends Emerging for Hawks Early This Season
(Brett Davis-Imagn Images)
As the 2026-27 NBA season wears on, trends begin to emerge. There are at least three trends that the Atlanta Hawks need to be concerned about.
Yes, it's still early. Still, after eight games, we have some idea of who these guys are. As talented as the Hawks are, they have real issues.
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These three stand above the rest.
1. Atlanta's Interior Defense Is a Real Problem
The Miami Heat hadn't won a game before they faced the Hawks. That changed with a resounding 129-117 victory on Oct. 28.
The Hawks had no answer for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished with 24 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field to go with 18 rebounds.
Bam Adebayo had his best game of the season as well, with 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field. As a team, the Heat had a crushing 70 points in the paint to Atlanta's 52.
It happened again Monday. In a 108-104 win at Indiana , a Pacers team that played only six players outscored Atlanta 54-26 in the paint.
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This is arguably the most fundamental issue with this roster. Any team with big, skilled players is going to make the Hawks pay. This is partly a function of running the 6-foot-10 Onyeka Okongwu at the 5.
And he's not even providing the benefit he's supposed to provide.
2. The Floor Spacing Hasn't Been Good Enough
This is not supposed to be a weakness for the Hawks.
At the risk of piling on, it doesn't help that Okongwu is hitting just 27.8% of his threes. He remains a dynamic, switchable defender, but if he's not compensating for his lack of size with floor spacing, he's not a starting-caliber center.
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Of course, that problem would be offset if Jalen Johnson were hitting more than 25.8% of his threes, or Dyson Daniels were hitting above 10.0%, or Luguentz Dort were hitting above 31.6% of his.
...Starting to see a trend?
The Hawks have a handful of high-volume, high-efficiency three-point shooters. Aaron Wiggins is hitting 40.4% of his 6.5 attempts per game, and CJ McCollum is at 37.2%. Still, with so many poor shooters playing so prominently, defenses can pack the paint with impunity.
As a result, the Hawks are getting dominated on the interior.
3. Jalen Johnson Has to Score More Efficiently
It's unfortunate to single someone out, but that's what happens when you're an NBA team's unequivocal franchise player. Through seven games, Johnson is averaging 18.3 points while shooting just 42.1% from the field and 25.8% from long range.
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He has played seven of Atlanta's eight games. He sprained his left ankle in Saturday's loss at New Orleans, missed Monday's win at Indiana, and is listed as questionable for Wednesday's game at Washington.
It hasn't been all bad. Johnson remains a prolific playmaker, averaging 7.9 assists and just 3.1 turnovers per contest. His 16 assists in an Oct. 24 loss to Houston tied his career high. He's a major contributor on the glass as well, with his 9.0 rebounds per game.
That's all great, but it only amounts to so much if Johnson can't reliably score in the half-court. He'll always be a terror in transition, but Johnson needs to improve his scoring efficiency if he's going to lead them to a successful season.
As of now, he's led them to a 3-4 record in the games he's played.
