Power Ranking Atlanta Hawks Players Heading into Final Month of Season
The focus is now on the NBA playoffs for the 52-14 Atlanta Hawks, who have all but wrapped up the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed with one month to spare in the regular season.
Considering its 10-game lead over the rest of its conference, Atlanta has begun to rest starters against lesser opponents. The Hawks sitting their players, as well as a variety of injuries, have caused various reserves to see more playing time. Some of those bench members have stepped up and produced at a high level, while others have not done so well.
Which players are trending up? Whose stock is falling? Let's examine the Hawks roster, injury-depleted as it is, and decide how everyone stacks up as we head down the regular season's home stretch.
Players will be ranked based on their performance throughout the 2014-15 campaign, with a slight emphasis placed on games played in the past month.
Notes: Last month's edition of the player power rankings can be found here. Players not ranked in the top 10 for this article will have last month's rank in parentheses, and those ranked in the top 10 here will have last month's ranking clearly marked underneath their statistic capsules. Only players ruled out due to injury for Sunday night's game against the Los Angeles Lakers will be considered injured for the sake of these rankings. Jarell Eddie's 10-day contract has finished, and the Hawks are not re-signing him (per The Atlanta Journal-Consititution's Chris Vivalmore), so he will not be included.
The Other Guys
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Injured: Thabo Sefolosha (injured last month)
Sefolosha's calf injury continues to impact the Hawks' wing depth and second-unit defense. With him on the court this year, Atlanta's defensive rating is 98.4, compared to just 104.1 when he sits. The good news is he could be back in a few games. Considering Vivlamore's most recent official report confirmed Sefolosha is on schedule with his rehabilitation, the 30-year-old small forward should return sometime before March 27.
Injured: Mike Scott (7)
The Hawks will be hard-pressed to replace the services of Scott, who broke his toe on March 11 against the Denver Nuggets, according to Vivlamore. With the 26-year-old stretch 4 possibly out for the remainder of the regular season, another Atlanta reserve (or reserves) will have to step in to replace his scoring and floor spacing with the second unit.
13. Austin Daye (not on team)
Who will help replace Scott's minutes and production? Daye is the obvious choice. The Hawks officially signed the 6'11" long-distance sniper Sunday, per Vivlamore, to a 10-day contract. Daye has experience at both forward positions and will likely get more minutes at the 4 due to Scott's injury. He isn't athletic, good on defense or even as close to as skilled as Scott, but Atlanta will at least appreciate having an extra shooter on the floor to grease the wheels of its motion offense.
12. Elton Brand (13)
Brand just keeps on trucking along in his end-of-the-bench role. The 36-year-old big man doesn't play in every game, and when he does, it's usually for only a limited amount of time. But you won't hear Brand complaining about minutes—in fact, he likes when his teammates get an opportunity to shine. He told Slam Magazine's Josh Planos the following in a January interview: "One of my greatest joys is seeing a guy that’s been working in my 'third string' group get a chance to play and shine."
11. Mike Muscala (12)
Like Brand, Muscala rarely gets meaningful minutes. However, Moose may get a chance to prove himself with the second unit over the season's final month, both in response to Scott's injury and the Hawks nearly securing the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed. His potential as a multiskilled big man may help him secure a spot in the Hawks' playoff rotation.
10. Pero Antic
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2014-15 Per-Game Statistics: 5.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.2 blocks, 0.2 steals, 8.4 PER, 0.048 win shares per 48 minutes
Last Month's Ranking: 9
Pero Antic has always been a player whose impact transcends the stat sheet. He spaces the floor with three-point shooting capabilities and plays above-average defense, usually making him an overall benefit to his team when he enters the game.
But Antic's numbers have just gotten so, so dreadful.
In his nine contests since Feb. 11, when the last edition of these power rankings was released, the 32-year-old center has put up the following per-game statistics: 3.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 0.7 assists, zero blocks and zero steals in 13.4 minutes on 16.1 percent shooting from the field. Admittedly, Antic has dealt with a nagging ankle injury, but anyone who's healthy enough to play should put up better numbers than he has over the past month.
Not only are Antic's personal numbers declining, but he isn't positively influencing his team with his presence. In the aforementioned nine-game stretch, the Hawks have been outscored by four points when he's on the court. When he's on the bench, Atlanta has produced 26 more points than its opponents.
Antic's contract runs out this summer, and, according to Vivlamore, both he and the Hawks want the Macedonian big man to stay. If he does remain in Atlanta, either he'll have to step up his play, or the Hawks will have to reduce his minutes.
9. Shelvin Mack
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2014-15 Per-Game Statistics: 4.6 points, 1.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.1 blocks, 0.4 steals, 12.0 PER, 0.058 win shares per 48 minutes
Last Month's Ranking: 11
There isn't much to say about Shelvin Mack's season or his past month of play.
The 24-year-old combo guard has simply had his rotation spot snatched from him by Dennis Schroder, who is more explosive, better defensively and more aggressive on offense. Mack still plays some but mostly in blowouts when teammates rest or in very short bursts.
On the positive side, the former Butler star has started to find his three-point stroke. He is 6-of-10 from the three-point line in his four March games. He will need to keep shooting accurately to avoid getting phased out of the rotation when the postseason starts.
8. John Jenkins
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2014-15 Per-Game Statistics: 4.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.0 blocks, 0.1 steals, 14.6 PER, 0.126 win shares per 48 minutes
Last Month's Ranking: 10
The potential John Jenkins has shown over the last couple of weeks is intriguing. In his last four games, the 24-year-old has averaged 8.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists in just 15.0 minutes on 57.9 percent shooting.
Unfortunately, it may be too little, too late to crack the playoff rotation.
When Sefolosha returns, he and Kent Bazemore will occupy most of the Hawks' reserve minutes at the shooting guard and small forward spots behind starters Kyle Korver and DeMarre Carroll. Jenkins is the team's fifth-best wing, but Atlanta won't want or need to play him much.
Looking toward next season, the sharpshooter could be on the way out. He is an unrestricted free agent due to the Hawks declining his team option last fall, and the allure of more money and an increased role could cause him to leave Atlanta.
7. Kent Bazemore
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2014-15 Per-Game Statistics: 4.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.4 blocks, 0.7 steals, 9.7 PER, 0.060 win shares per 48 minutes
Last Month's Ranking: 8
Bazemore has been the chief beneficiary of Sefolosha's absence. Before his Swiss teammate went down with his calf injury on Jan. 30, the 25-year-old shooting guard was averaging 11.7 minutes per game. Since then, he's gotten 25.9 minutes of playing time per contest.
As Bazemore's role has increased, so has his confidence.
He's shot an excellent 19-of-46 from three-point range (41.3 percent) since Sefolosha's injury, a sure way to earn brownie points in head coach Mike Budenholzer's book. Thanks to his length, athleticism and instincts, he's also blossomed as a terror in the passing lanes and in transition. Watch these highlights from the Hawks' 93-91 victory over the Miami Heat on Feb. 28 to see the fast-break fiend in action.
Bazemore's minutes will inevitably take a slight dip when Sefolosha returns, but he's proved enough to stay in the rotation.
6. Dennis Schroder
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2014-15 Per-Game Statistics: 9.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 0.0 blocks, 0.7 steals, 15.1 PER, 0.075 win shares per 48 minutes
Last Month's Ranking: 6
I really, really wanted to move Schroder up to the No. 5 slot this month, but considering a lot of his statistics have come against bench players, I couldn't do it.
Even so, the 21-year-old backup point guard has been excellent recently, averaging 14.1 points and 6.7 assists in just 25.2 minutes per game over his last six contests. It's the kind of production that makes you think he might be destined for stardom one day.
But the Hawks already have Jeff Teague, a 26-year-old All-Star floor general who has improved every year he's been in the league.
Will the Hawks trade one of them sometime, possibly next season? It's a question that will linger as long as both point guards are playing well. In the short term, however, Atlanta has started to experiment more with playing Teague and Schroder together in the backcourt, which seems to be working well so far.
Schroder's emergence has ensured the Hawks will never have an incompetent player running the point, which should come in handy when the postseason starts.
5. DeMarre Carroll
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2014-15 Per-Game Statistics: 11.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.2 blocks, 1.3 steals, 14.9 PER, 0.151 win shares per 48 minutes
Last Month's Ranking: 5
Every team in the NBA would love to have Carroll as the No. 5 offensive option in its starting lineup.
The 28-year-old small forward shines brightly as the Hawks' resident defensive stopper, but he's also a great spot-up three-point shooter and finisher at the rim. Best of all, he realizes his limitations as a creator off the dribble and shooting in the mid-range area, so he plays perfectly to his strengths while the effects of his weaknesses are minimized.
But let's go back to that defense of Carroll's.
In the Hawks' 106-97 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 6, Junkyard Dog guarded LeBron James, arguably the league's greatest player, forcing him into 5-of-13 shooting from the field and nine turnovers. After the game, Carroll said the following, according to The Associated Press via ESPN: "I wanted to be a gnat. You know, when you're outside in the summer, and you can't get that gnat away from you."
Keep being that gnat, Carroll.
4. Kyle Korver
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2014-15 Per-Game Statistics: 12.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.6 blocks, 0.7 steals, 15.0 PER, 0.156 win shares per 48 minutes
Last Month's Ranking: 4
Kyle Korver's jump shot is finally back to normal.
After a 17-of-54 cold stretch from behind the three-point arc between Feb. 20 and March 6, the 33-year-old All-Star has nailed 14 of his 19 deep shots since March 9. His rejuvenation can be owed to the game off he took when the Hawks traveled to Philadelphia on March 7 for a contest against the 76ers. According to Vivlamore, Korver didn't travel with the team—instead, he stayed home and didn't touch a basketball. He had a weight training session and a chiropractic appointment, but he did nothing else work-related.
Korver said of his shooting, also per Vivlamore: "I’m feeling better. That happens over the course of the season, you go through shooting slumps here and there. That one was a little longer than I wanted it to be. It feels a little better right now."
Now that Threezus is back, the Hawks offense should be able to thrive once again. And hopefully, the broken nose he suffered in Sunday's game against the Lakers, per Vivlamore, won't affect him going forward.
3. Jeff Teague
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2014-15 Per-Game Statistics: 16.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 0.5 blocks, 1.7 steals, 21.2 PER, 0.182 win shares per 48 minutes
Last Month's Ranking: 2
As Schroder has developed, Teague's minutes and production have declined.
The 26-year-old point guard's numbers haven't dipped precipitously (14.1 points and 5.7 assists in 28.9 minutes per game since the All-Star break), but it's clear he's not quite as valuable to the Hawks right now as two of his teammates. However, that's not a negative because the more seasoned Schroder is for the playoffs, the better.
Teague continues to be an excellent all-around point guard with his good passing ability, great ball-handling, pesky defense and an excellent scoring touch anywhere inside 25 feet.
2. Paul Millsap
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2014-15 Per-Game Statistics: 16.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.9 blocks, 1.8 steals, 19.9 PER, 0.167 win shares per 48 minutes
Last Month's Ranking: 3
Hopefully, Scott's injury doesn't cause Budenholzer to give Paul Millsap more playing time.
The 30-year-old power forward leads the Hawks in total minutes (2,086) and minutes per game (33.1) this season and would probably benefit from any rest he can get before the playoffs. Sunday's night off against the Lakers, per Vivlamore, is an encouraging sign.
This month, Millsap leapfrogs Teague in the rankings because he's kept his production consistent (17.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 32.3 minutes per game since the All-Star break) while Teague has not.
Once the postseason starts, look for Coach Bud to fully unleash the All-Star on the Eastern Conference. Whoever guards Millsap will not only have to be strong enough to contend with him in the post but agile enough to contest his jump shots from all over the court.
1. Al Horford
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2014-15 Per-Game Statistics: 15.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 blocks, 0.8 steals, 21.5 PER, 0.190 win shares per 48 minutes
Last Month's Ranking: 1
Al Horford's name gets forgotten far too often when people think of the league's best centers.
DeMarcus Cousins, Marc Gasol and Nikola Vucevic put up gaudier stats, but all have bigger roles in their offenses than the 28-year-old Hawks center does. Horford is deadly from mid-range, has a nice post hook inside and passes and defends well.
Maybe the most significant statistic from Horford's season pertains to his discipline on the less glamorous end of the court. The Dominican big man averages just 1.6 fouls per game, a career low. How does he compare to the aforementioned three centers? Those guys hack their opponents 4.1, 2.5 and 3.0 times per game, respectively. In blocks per foul, an underrated metric for big men, Horford (0.81) is No. 2 among all centers, per ESPN.
The All-Star's two way impact makes him not only the Hawks' best player but one of the league's best centers.
Note: All statistics are from Basketball-Reference.com and updated through March 11, unless otherwise indicated.
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