The Hawks have now lost six in a row and nine of 10. Their last two defeats have come by an average of 40 points, the worst back-to-back losses in franchise history. The Hawks, who were tied for first in the Eastern Conference on Nov. 17, are now in ninth place and under .500 for the first time since Oct. 27, 2015. Atlanta was without forward Paul Millsap for the third straight game Saturday. Since Nov. 18, the Hawks are dead last in the NBA in offensive rating and true shooting percentage, and the only teams to have worse net ratings are the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Brooklyn Nets.
The Hawks appear unwilling to adjust to opponents’ defensive switches on the pick-and-roll, and the up-tempo style of new starting point guard Dennis Schroder has led to added consequence of Atlanta having the second-highest turnover rate in the NBA this season – 17 per game.
The Hawks are also failing to get production from the likes of Kent Bazemore and, more recently, Dwight Howard. Bazemore who signed a four-year, $70-million contract over the summer has shown no real improvement across the board, and is shooting below 38 percent from the floor on the season with a sub-12 PER. Atlanta has not missed the postseason since 2006-07, but the way things are looking, all signs are pointing to the Hawks missing the playoffs for the first time in nine years.
