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NBA Atlanta Hawks

5 Takeaways From Atlanta Hawks’ Early-Season Play

By @TheSizzle20

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5 Things We Know About The Hawks Already

5 Things We Know About The Hawks Already
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Coming into the 2014-15 NBA season, there was a lot of buzz about the Atlanta Hawks. Not only were they finally fully healthy coming into the year, but they had a year under head coach Mike Budenholzer to build from. After almost three weeks of play, what can we say about the Hawks?

5. Defense Will Be Their Biggest Flaw

5. Defense Will Be Their Biggest Flaw
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5. Defense Will Be Their Biggest Flaw

5. Defense Will Be Their Biggest Flaw
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Under Budenholzer, it’s pretty clear that they are going to be able to score. With all of their shooters and playmakers, points are going to come. The biggest challenge for this team to reach their peak is going to be their performance on the other end of the floor, which hasn’t been consistent or great to start the year.

4. They Seem To Be Middle-Tier Team In East

4. They Seem To Be Middle-Tier Team In East
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4. They Seem To Be Middle-Tier Team In East

4. They Seem To Be Middle-Tier Team In East
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Even without Al Horford last season, the Hawks made it into the Eastern Conference Playoffs in the East. Now it’s clear that they are firmly a playoff team in that conference, but they also don’t look like they’re going to be among the “contenders” either.

3. Reserve Big Men Have To Consistently Contribute

3. Reserve Big Men Have To Consistently Contribute
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3. Reserve Big Men Have To Consistently Contribute

3. Reserve Big Men Have To Consistently Contribute
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The Hawks have a stacked starting frontcourt, but they also have a lot of talented big men on their bench. The key, though, is that these guys like Pero Antic have to come in and contribute consistently for Atlanta’s high-octane offense to run its full course on the league.

2. Paul Millsap Is Criminally Under-appreciated

2. Paul Millsap Is Criminally Under-appreciated
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2. Paul Millsap Is Criminally Under-appreciated

2. Paul Millsap Is Criminally Under-appreciated
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Millsap feels like a player who always gets forgotten about, but this guy is All-Star caliber and there’s no doubt about it. How he helps the Hawks with his offensive versatility and with his aggressiveness on the boards can’t be undervalued.

1. Al Horford Needs To Have Better Impact

1. Al Horford Needs To Have Better Impact
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1. Al Horford Needs To Have Better Impact

1. Al Horford Needs To Have Better Impact
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The return of Horford was supposed to be the thing to put Atlanta over the hump clearly this season, but that hasn’t been the case thus far. He hasn’t been bad, but it’s also apparent that he’s not totally into form. We know he can be an elite big man in the NBA, but he has to do that for the Hawks to become a problem in the East.

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