Yesterday’s loss was undoubtedly the most frustrating of the season, but it wasn’t all that unexpected. Despite an otherworldly performance from Trae Young, who dropped a career-high 56 points to go along with 14 assists, the first time that has ever happened in NBA history, the Hawks fell to a Trail Blazers squad that was missing Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.
It was once again the defense that plagued the Hawks. They surrendered 136 points in regulation, making Anfernee Simons look like an MVP candidate on his way to a career-high 43 points. Portland got whatever they wanted offensively, and it took very little effort to do so, thanks to Atlanta’s piss-poor effort on the defensive end. It’s a far cry from what we saw from the Hawks to end last season, but it’s become the norm for them this season, as they dropped to 16-20, despite being one of the best offensive teams in the league.
Following the loss, Atlanta is now 12th in the Eastern Conference. Everything remains well in front of them, but there’s no reason a team with this much talent and depth should be on the outside looking in this deep into the season. Something is up, and the frustration is beginning to boil over.
On 92.9 The Game this morning, Travis Schlenk had some harsh words for his team and even hinted at some significant changes come the trade deadline.
Schlenk: "It's the same thing every game. Ultimately, this all falls on me. So, we need to take a long look at this and see if this group is the group we saw last year in the second half of the season or if this is the group this year."
— Mike Conti (@MikeConti929) January 4, 2022
Hawks GM Travis Schlenk on @929TheGame: "There's no sense of urgency to make a stop, there's no sense of accountability that 'I'm going to stop my guy.' It's just not there… it doesn't bother them. I hope it's a switch we can flip but I don't know at this point."
— Mike Conti (@MikeConti929) January 4, 2022
"We have a few weeks before the trade deadline here, and this is what I need to figure out. It's my responsibility to put a product on the floor that can win, and right now I'm not sure I have done that," said Schlenk. https://t.co/gqVvLehpEb
— Mike Conti (@MikeConti929) January 4, 2022
Schlenk, who is usually as calm and composed as any general manager in sports, didn’t hold back at all during the interview. That doesn’t mean I expect him to make any rash decisions, but anybody who has watched the Hawks play this season can tell it might be time to mix things up, and I’m not talking about lineup changes or anything like that. I’m talking about substantial trades.
With Trae Young playing the way he is, the Hawks have the ability to beat anyone on any given night. However, to do that, they must show better commitment on the defensive end. When that happens, this team will start racking up wins in bunches, and perhaps it occurs over the next month before the trade deadline. But if it doesn’t, I could see Schlenk going in several different directions come February.
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Photo: Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
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