Travis Schlenk appeared on 92.9 The Game Tuesday morning following the Hawks dreadful home loss to the Rockets on Monday night, and he did not mince words regarding his team’s porous play in recent weeks. Atlanta has now lost five straight games at home, which Schlenk said is unacceptable for a good team.
Hawks GM Travis Schlenk on @929TheGame this morning brings up his team's five straight home losses: "Good teams don't do that. That's what bad teams do. We just have to be honest about that."
— Mike Conti (@MikeConti929) December 14, 2021
The Hawks GM specifically brought up the defense late in games as the root of the team’s issues, saying even his son recognizes that the team isn’t giving the proper effort on that side of the floor.
Schlenk: "We've got to start taking pride in the defensive end of the floor. My eight year old told me this morning 'I don't think they care about defense,' and it's true." https://t.co/FZg8WU0OP3
— Mike Conti (@MikeConti929) December 14, 2021
The Hawks gave up 44 points in the fourth quarter last night, letting a double digit lead escape from them against a team that lost 15 games in a row at one point this season and entered yesterday with a 1-12 record on the road. It goes without saying that’s unacceptable for a team with championship aspirations like the Hawks, regardless of who is or isn’t playing.
Schlenk also commented on the possibility of seeing the Hawks rookies — Jalen Johnson and Sharife Cooper — in the near future. It didn’t sound like it was really in the cards, but based on how poorly the Hawks have played of late, he didn’t count it completely out either.
Travis Schlenk on Jalen Johnson and Sharife Cooper: "They've been doing better down in College Park. Will we see them play? I don't know. But at this point I wouldn't mind seeing them play, I guess."
— Mike Conti (@MikeConti929) December 14, 2021
That sounds more like frustration than anything, and Schlenk doesn’t strike me as a GM that acts on frustration. However, if things don’t get better quickly, bringing Jalen Johnson up permanently for some energy and front court depth could prove beneficial.
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