Clint Capela: 'I'm Not So Shocked' by Hawks' Struggles During 2021-22 Season
The Atlanta Hawks seemed poised to be among the NBA's best teams this season after an Eastern Conference Finals appearance last year and with young star Trae Young to lead the way.
That has not been the case, which may be surprising to some—but not to Hawks big man Clint Capela.
"Our approach the entire season, we were already thinking we were going to the playoffs," Capela told Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. "Our approach wasn't about the next game; it was, 'Oh, we won this. We won that.' That's the problem with teams that are not used to this. I'm not so shocked."
The high-profile struggles of the Los Angeles Lakers have overshadowed Atlanta's issues on a national level, but it is still stunning to see the Hawks battle to make the play-in tournament after last season's success.
Atlanta is 26-30 and tied with the Washington Wizards for the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference, which would be the final play-in spot.
That surely wasn't the plan after falling two wins short of the NBA Finals last season.
Consistency has been a problem, as evidenced by a seven-game winning streak in January that included wins over the Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat and Lakers, followed by five losses in the next seven games.
"I feel like our approach night-to-night isn't the same," Capela said. "Maybe we don't prepare ourselves well enough for every game. It obviously affects how we're playing our opponent every night. It hasn't been good for us. It's clearly an issue."
Then there is the defense.
Atlanta is 27th in the league in defensive rating, and Capela pointed to a lack of buy-in:
"Because I feel like it comes from the mindset of everybody. If you're always thinking about offense, you're always going to feel like offense is an issue. If you're more defensive-minded, you're going to take more pride on defense. I feel like the team we are, we're more offensive-minded. There aren't a lot of guys who take pride on defense, so it's hard. I'm mostly a defensive-minded guy, but it's a team thing. Your team has to be defensive-minded. It can't be just him or him or him. Everyone. So, it is what it is."
Fortunately for the Hawks, they have plenty of time to turn things around before the playoffs.
The core of this team proved it can compete on a postseason stage with the run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Notable wins over the Bucks, Heat and Phoenix Suns in the last month underscore how dangerous Atlanta can be on any given night.
With better defense and more consistency, the Hawks could be a threat to the top teams in the East come playoff time.
