We make a major jump one I’m not afraid to say doesn’t feel nearly big enough.
Ahead of Al Horford went with (another) torn pectoral last year, Mike Budenholzer’s birds were 16-13, appearing like the third-best group from the East. After losing its very best player, the year with a 22-31 mark closed out.
Of course, since the East was the East, the Hawks made the playoffs.
Horford is looking and healthy just nice in preseason play. Additionally, Paul Millsap is currently playing for a contract, Jeff Teague remains one of the league’s least talents and Thabo Sefolosha is in town to bring some perimeter protection that is stifling.
Nobody’s saying the Hawks are a lot of world-beaters, but they feel just like postseason locks. And they might very well finish one of the conference’s top four.
At the minimum, they’ll jack a lot of threes (only the Houston Rockets tried more in 2013-14) and also look after the chunk (Atlanta’s assist-to-turnover ratio was second best in the East). That’s a recipe for success.
Don’t sleep on the Hawks.
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