The Hawks have not had a perfect season by any means, but they’ve shown that they’re not the same team from the past two seasons.
They’ve improved in a few key areas, though consistency remains an area of needed growth, and taken a few steps back. Player health has impacted that. But their development system through the efforts of Skyhawks coach Steve Klei and his staff has shown a lot of promise.
Here, at the midpoint of the season, we revisit the five keys to the season that we listed in mid-October:
Hawks’ offensive efficiency when Trae Young sits
The Hawks don’t have an official backup point guard this season. They’ve handled the non-Young minutes by committee and have leaned heavily on Jalen Johnson.
But Johnson has missed five of the past six games, leaving the Hawks without their secondary playmaker.
They’ve received strong minutes from guard Keaton Wallace, who is on a two-way contract and who helped lead them to a win over the Bulls on Wednesday without several key rotational players.
Hawks guard Vit Krejci and Dyson Daniels also have had the ball in their hands more. The team has also had Bogdan Bogdanovic handle some of the playmaking.
But adding a backup point guard at the trade deadline could help the Hawks continue to play with the pace they set out to this season.
Hawks’ commitment to defensive intensity
The Hawks have a defensive rating of 113.6, but that ranks them 20th in the NBA. The Hawks also have the worst opponent 3-point shooting percentage in the league.
Though the Hawks' defense has not been perfect, they’ve taken steps in the right direction.
They’ve used that improved defense to get out, run and generate offense off it. They rank 12th in the league with 16.2% of their points scored coming off turnovers. Another 14.7% of their points this season have come off fast breaks.
Patience with Zaccharie Risacher’s development
The Hawks rookie has had plenty of ups and downs in the first half of the season.
But Risacher continues to show the effort the Hawks want to see on the defensive end. He continues to handle tough matchups and does not back down from them regardless who is in front of him.
Offensively, Risacher has not shied from attacking the basket, with 39% of his shot attempts coming at the rim. He has still struggled to consistently knock shots down from deep. Risacher has averaged 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists through 39 games.
Hawks remaining as healthy as possible
No team in the NBA can ever remain 100% healthy and the Hawks are no exception. Though the Hawks saw the return of several players to the rotation of an early injury bug, they’ve since shut down Kobe Bufkin because of a shoulder injury.
The Hawks have also seen injuries that have held Bogdanovic out for several games, as well as a shoulder injury that has forced Johnson to miss time.
But the Hawks have somewhat weathered the storm, rarely falling below .500 this season.
Breakouts from key rotational players
Johnson and De’Andre Hunter have broken out this season and have been key to the Hawks' success. The Hawks have a 17-15 record when Johnson plays and a 16-11 record when Hunter suits up.
But the Hawks also have had strong seasons from Krejci, Wallace and Garrison Mathews, who have been instrumental in filling out their rotation because of injuries.
The Hawks, of course, would love to see a breakout game from Bogdanovic, who has been working to get back to form after a couple of injuries held him out for multiple games.
Bogdanovic has averaged a career-low 10.7 points a game on a career-low 32.3% shooting from deep. But Bogdanovic has broken out of slumps like this, and the Hawks wing will keep shooting to snap it.
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