![]() ![]() Key Losses - Louis Williams, rights to Lucas NogueiraĪtlanta didn't necessarily make a big splash this offseason, but they improved on the wing as they upgraded their starting small forward spot by signing Thabo Sefolosha to a three-year, $12 million deal. Key Additions - Thabo Sefolosha, Adreian Payne, Kent Bazemore With a healthy Al Horford, there's no reason to believe they can't make more noise in 2014-15. Regardless, the team displayed a lot of growth and fight all year long. The Hawks came up short in Game 7, but you've got to imagine things could have gone differently if their leader and best player was in the lineup. In fact, they gave the number one-seeded Indiana Pacers all they could handle, forcing them through a hard-fought seven-game series. He'll bounce back.Įven without Al Horford for the entire second half of the season, Atlanta was able to sneak into the Eastern Conference playoffs as the eighth seed and they earned their spot once the lights were on. This has got to be frustrating beyond belief for Horford, but nobody is doubting the two-time All-Star's work ethic. The big fella was perhaps on his way to a career year himself, as he was averaging 18.6 points and 8.4 rebounds on 57% shooting before he went down just 29 games into the season. The real downside of Atlanta's 2013-14 season was Al Horford's second torn pectoral injury in a three-year span. Last year, however, he came out of nowhere to put up 200 long-balls and shot a respectable 31% as he established himself as a quality floor spacer and pick n' pop threat off the bench. You thought Paul Millsap transformed himself as an outside shooter? Throughout Mike Scott's five-year NCAA career at the University of Virginia, he shot an accumulative 44 three-point attempts and took just one as a rookie in the NBA. Jeff Teague, DeMarre Carroll and Mike Scott played their best basketball to date, as well. After stints with Philadelphia, Utah and Chicago, it looks like Korver has found himself a home. Korver has always been a lights out three-point shooter, but he continues to improve annually on the defensive end of the floor as well as with his his ball handling, as he is now able to do a lot more off of two or three bounces than earlier in his career. He averaged 12 points per game, which is his best since 2006-07, to go along with four rebounds and a career-high 2.9 assists per game. ![]() Thanks to his long-range efficiency and 92.6% mark from the free throw line, he also lead the league in true shooting percentage (65.3%). Korver lead the league in three-point percentage for the second time in his career (47.2%) and completed a 127-game streak of hitting at least one three-point shot. The sharpshooting swingman went crazy from beyond the arc even crazier than usual. Last season also brought us some of the best all-around basketball we have seen from Kyle Korver, who is worth every penny of the four-year, $24 million contract extension he signed with Atlanta last summer. Atlanta reeled him in on a pretty reasonable two-year, $19 million contract, to boot. Millsap knocked down 76 of 212 three-point attempts (35.8%) when the most threes he had previously taken in a season was 39. Millsap's 2013-14 campaign boasted career-highs in scoring (17.9 PPG), assists (3.1 APG), steals (1.7 SPG) and field goal attempts per contest (14.1) while he added a new dimension to his game. The Hawks were fortunate enough to find a big time replacement via free agency as they were able to land Paul Millsap, who went on to average 17.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in his first year with the team, where he earned his first NBA All-Star selection. Replacing Drew was first-year head coach Mike Budenholzer, who had spent the 16 previous years as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs.Īs productive as Josh Smith was throughout his nine-year tenure in Atlanta, it was time for a change of scenery. Only half of their 2012-13 roster had returned, they moved on from the Josh Smith era and chose not to renew the contract of head coach Larry Drew last summer. ![]() The 2013-14 season was a year of change for the Atlanta Hawks. Lost to IND (4-3) - Eastern Conference Quarterfinals The Hawks surely want to pick up where they left off last season, playing an elimination game in front of a hysterically loud Atlanta crowd, and unleashing the power of the Pac-Man to advance.Ĥth in Southeast Division - 8th in Eastern Conference It's the kind of team that's built for the postseason, as the Pacers found out. They are hard nosed, great shooting, share the ball types that are a tough matchup for any team, any night. The Hawks want to continue to build on the culture and on-the-court personality change that has been underway under Danny Ferry and Mike Budenholzer. Peachtree Hoops - Atlanta Hawks 2014-15 Preview. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |