The Hawks have one game and one win under their belt. But for coach Quin Snyder, the team still has habits it needs to improve upon.
The Hawks want to be a team that plays with pace. One of the ways Snyder has envisioned them accomplishing that goal is by getting out in transition. For the Hawks to get out on the fast break, they’ll have to force turnovers and get stops.
“We’re the same in the center spot, but having more size across the back line. ... There’s different ways to protect the rim, and there’s the rim protector that you know, we know who those guys are in the (NBA),” Snyder said before Wednesday’s season-opening game against the Nets. “But there’s also being shifted and being ready to help.
“And one of the biggest things, frankly, is our transition defense, which is something that’s harder to work on, that really involves communication. So, in addition to all the habits that you try to form, you want to become instinctive. I think that’s something that we’ll continue to grind on and train throughout the course of the season.”
On Wednesday night, the Hawks scored 20 points off of 19 Nets turnovers. One example was forward De’Andre Hunter fighting through a screen from Nets guard Cam Thomas and getting into position to pick off a pass from Ben Simmons to Cameron Johnson.
Hunter stuck with the play despite bobbling the dribble and pushing the ball out of traffic. Hawks center Clint Capela corralled the loose ball and found Dyson Daniels on the wing for a 3.
But the Hawks averaged only 87.5 points per 100 transition plays that came from steals, per Cleaning the Glass.
The Hawks seemed to capitalize more off live rebounds after forcing the Nets into the tough shots. They had only two more rebounds than the Nets, but on their fast-break plays that began off of live rebounds, the Hawks averaged 154.5 points per 100 transition plays.
With 5:23 to play in the first, the Hawks forced Noah Clowney to force a shot that missed at the shot-clock buzzer. Trae Young grabbed the rebound and quickly pushed the ball ahead to Onyeka Okongwu, who had beaten his defender down low, for a quick layup.
Despite the many positives throughout the first game of the 82-game regular season, the Hawks are far from where they need to be to have consistent success against tougher teams.
The Hawks had several moments Wednesday when they didn’t get shifted in time, leaving a man open on the perimeter to make a shot. They also had moments when they relaxed on possessions, allowing the Nets sneak behind and hit quick layups, with Hawks defenders looking the other way.
The Nets put up a strong fight, shooting 39.5% on 3-point shots, as well as slashing a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit (101-92) to four points (110-106) with 2:22 to play. ESPN Analytics projects that they have only a 6.6% chance of making the playoffs, though, and already has them pegged with a 9.4% chance of getting the top pick in the next NBA draft.
The Hawks have some tougher opponents slated in their first 10 games, with matchups against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 1, as well as the Boston Celtics on Nov. 4, then the New York Knicks on Nov. 6.
ESPN projects those four teams to have a 57.7% chance or better of making the playoffs and a 30.3% chance or better of landing in the top six of their respective conferences.
“Brooklyn played very hard,” Snyder said after the game. “It’s a physical game. I thought it got away. We adjusted to it, I thought very well. A lot of things, I’ve mentioned, from a habit standpoint. ... Defensively, we had, we didn’t do a lot of things that we have been working on, trying to do, and that just tells you that they’re not there yet.
“So, we got to keep working. But I think more importantly, we really came together as a team late and executed really, really well, and got some big stops. They hit some shots, and kind of wouldn’t go away, so to speak. And (I) thought Brooklyn played very well, very hard, and I think we played hard, too.”
They will have to play hard again Friday when they welcome the Charlotte Hornets, who upset the Houston Rockets in their home opener.
“We needed to adjust to how the game was being called,” Snyder said. “So, all those things, it may not have showed it all the time, but I think from a mental standpoint, we were committed to that we just didn’t always do the things that you need to do to capitalize on that, and that just means we got to keep, keep training.”
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