The Atlanta Hawks continue their four-game road trip tonight when they face the Indiana Pacers. Atlanta is of course going to be without Trae Young, but the Pacers have their own injury issues to worry about. This team looks nothing like the one that had made back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals and it might be a tough season for Rick Carlisle’s team.
Even without Young, the Hawks are the favorites in tonight’s game and it will be interesting to see how they operate without him. Young is one of the best ball handlers and play makers in the NBA and he takes up a lot of the usage on offense. I look for Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, Keaton Wallace, and possibly Vit Krejci to take those duties.
The game is about to tip-off and here are the starting lineups for tonight’s game:
Hawks:
G- Nickeil Alexander-Walker
G- Dyson Daniels
F- Zaccharie Risacher
F- Jalen Johnson
C- Kristaps Porzingis
Pacers:
G- Quenton Jackson
G- Aaron Nesmith
F- Jarace Walker
F- Pascal Siakam
C- Isaiah Jackson
Looking at the Hawks through four games
How have the Hawks looked in the advanced numbers to start the season? Our own Rohan Raman looked deeper at this team today in a preview of today’s game:
“The Hawks’ offense had a good night against a hapless Brooklyn defense, which is pushing them up the rankings. They’re 23rd in points, 19th in FG%, 19th in 3P%, 21st in FT%, 26th in rebounds (20th in OREB), 8th in assists and 4th in turnovers per game. However, it wouldn’t be surprising if those numbers took a bit of a decline. Young’s floor on offense can’t be easily replaced.
Brooklyn’s heavy reliance on three-pointers leaves them at the mercy of shooting variance and thankfully, it swung in Atlanta’s favor during their matchup and improved their overall numbers. In a per-game basis, Atlanta ranks 20th in points allowed, 28th in FG% allowed, 5th in 3P% allowed, 26th in rebounds allowed, 17th in steals and 15th in blocks.
The injuries have wreaked havoc on a previously strong Pacers offense. They rank 25th in points, 29th in FG%, 26th in 3P%, 30th in FT%, 2nd in rebounds (5th in OREB), 27th in assists and 7th in turnovers per game. Their rebounding numbers have kept them in games, but it’s a far cry from the offensive juggernaut Indiana had last season.
Even though the Pacers have been able to hold up at the point of attack, their defense hasn’t been much better. They’re 22nd in points allowed, 11th in FG% allowed, 2nd in 3P% allowed, 29th in rebounds allowed, 30th in steals and 11th in blocks.”
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