Grading Atlanta Hawks' Final 15-Man Roster

The Atlanta Hawks opted for continuity in constructing their 15-man roster for the 2014-15 season, a campaign that promises to be a good one for the team.

Only three new players will suit up for Atlanta in Wednesday's season opener against the Toronto Raptors: Adreian Payne, Kent Bazemore and Thabo Sefolosha. Payne is a rookie, and both Bazemore and Sefolosha averaged fewer than seven points per game in 2013-14. 

The lack of a big-name acquisition is unfortunate for a team that only won 38 games last season, but it won't doom the Hawks.

Atlanta's roster now has solid depth at every position and returns its biggest star, Al Horford, from a season-ending pectoral injury.

Let's look at each of the five positions in detail and hand out grades for how the Hawks players will perform in 2014-15.

Point Guard

Issac Baldizon/Getty Images

Jeff Teague used his court vision to average 6.7 assists for the Hawks last season.

Starter: Jeff Teague

Bench: Dennis Schroder, Shelvin Mack

Teague is the obvious starter at point guard. The 26-year-old's yearly statistical improvements are impressive and should continue in his second season running head coach Mike Budenholzer's offensive system. 

Schroder and Mack will compete for backup point guard duties with their differing play styles.

Schroder is essentially a younger version of the Boston Celtics' Rajon Rondo (a comparison Sports Illustrated's Ben Golliver expands on here). He's athletic and a pesky defender but lacks an effective jump shot.

Mack, on the other hand, isn't particularly athletic, but he's a steady ball-handler and can knock down jump shots from all over the court.

Unfortunately for the Hawks, the preseason did little to separate the two. Schroder averaged 6.6 points and 2.4 assists per game on 51.2 percent shooting from the field, while Mack averaged 6.6 points and 3.4 assists while shooting 41.5 percent during the seven-game slate.

Regardless of whom the Hawks tab as the second-string point guard, the 1 spot is a position of strength for the team.

Grade: B+

Shooting Guard

Steve Babineau/Getty Images

Kyle Korver's ability to catch and shoot in an instant is possibly the best in the NBA.

Starter: Kyle Korver

Bench: Kent Bazemore, John Jenkins

Korver might have the most well-defined role in the whole NBA.

If he's even moderately open for a three-point shot, it's only a matter of seconds before the ball is out of his hands and dropping through the net. The 33-year shooting guard has led the league in success rate from downtown twice in the last five seasons (2010, 2014) and has never dipped below 41 percent from distance in that span.

While Korver primarily shoots threes and spaces the floor, free-agency acquisition Bazemore is a jack of several trades. 

Head coach Budenholzer said the following about Bazemore, according to the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Chris Vivlamore: "Kent’s competitiveness and versatility make him a great addition to our group. He can impact the game in a lot of ways, especially defensively guarding multiple positions."

Jenkins won't play big minutes behind Korver and Bazemore, but his promising preseason performance may have gained him a little bit of extra playing time. In his five preseason games, Jenkins reached double-digit scoring three times and shot 66.7 percent from three-point range.

Two-guard isn't a great position for the Hawks because all three players are clearly not stars, but the depth is good.

Grade: B-

Small Forward

Associated Press

DeMarre Carroll's performance last season was a very pleasant surprise for the Hawks.

Starter: DeMarre Carroll

Bench: Thabo Sefolosha

Carroll was a revelation as the Hawks' starting small forward during his first year with the team in 2013-14. Per 82games.com, he earned a 14.7 player efficiency rating while playing the 3 position. Meanwhile, his small forward counterparts could only muster a 13.1 PER against him. 

Carroll's specialty is defense, but he still managed to chip in 11.1 points per game and shot 47 percent from the field last season.

Sefolosha comes over from the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he manned the starting shooting guard position for 367 games due to superstar Kevin Durant's lockdown on the 3 spot.

Like Carroll, Sefolosha makes his money on the defensive end. He's accumulated 17.5 defensive win shares throughout his career, per Basketball-Reference.com.

The 30-year-old swingman also enjoyed a nice preseason with his new team. Sefolosha averaged 8.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in six contests with the Hawks.

The main reason this grade isn't higher is because the small forward position is only two-deep. Carroll and Sefolosha's collective lack of shot-creating ability also limits the amount of scoring punch the Hawks can get from their small forwards.

Grade: C+

Power Forward

Associated Press

All-Star Paul Millsap leads a deep group of Hawks power forwards.

Starter: Paul Millsap

Bench players: Mike Scott, Elton Brand, Adreian Payne

Power forward is undoubtedly the Hawks' best position from top to bottom.

Millsap broke out last season, making his first All-Star appearance. His 17.9 points per game, 3.1 assists and 76 made three-pointers were all career highs.

Scott, meanwhile, came on strong in April last season, notching 12.1 points in 20.7 minutes per game on 53.8 percent shooting from the field during the month. The stretch 4 parlayed that success into a masterful preseason this fall, too—Scott finished his seven exhibition contests with averages of 12.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game on 57.9 percent from the field.

HoopsHabit's Adam McGee even believes Scott has a chance to win the Sixth Man of the Year award. McGee said the following about him: "If Scott comes off the bench and makes a couple of shots in quick succession, he’s immediately in rhythm, and ready to gun. The first spot off the bench is ideal for guys who are streaky scorers, and the Hawks will look for Scott to provide instant offense in that role."

Brand and Payne are very different players, but they will both give the Hawks a lift in 2014-15. 

Brand is 35-year-old with 15 NBA seasons under his belt, while Payne is a 23-year-old rookie from Michigan State University. Brand relies on his defensive timing and experience, while No. 15 overall draft pick Payne will rely on his athleticism and his jump shot (head straight to the 1:20 mark of the linked video). 

Solid four-man depth at the 4 position will insure the Hawks in case of an injury to one of their power forwards. 

Grade: A

Center

Associated Press

The strength of the Hawks' center position relies heavily on Al Horford's health.

Starter: Al Horford

Bench: Pero Antic, Mike Muscala

The center position gets the biggest bump up from last season thanks to Horford's return.

For the 53 games that Horford was sidelined, Antic, Gustavo Ayon (now with Spanish club Real Madrid) and Brand were forced into starting center duty. While the aforementioned three are some of the more workmanlike players in the league, none of them are good enough to start for a contending NBA team. All three averaged fewer than eight points, five rebounds and 20 minutes per game in 2013-14.

If Horford stays healthy, the Hawks will be totally set at center.

Admittedly, that's a big "if," considering Horford has played only 114 of the Hawks' 230 games in the past three seasons. But there's no denying the 28-year-old's talent when healthy. Horford boasts two All-Star Game appearances and career averages of 14.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 blocks per game with a 54.1 field-goal percentage.

Unfortunately, the depth at center is mediocre.

Antic is not much more than a reason to use the term "stretch 5," while the Hawks are excited about Muscala's potential down the road, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Chris Vivlamore.

Grade: B

Note: All depth chart information and statistics are from ESPN unless otherwise indicated.

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