53+ min ago (237+ words) Collin Gillespie is officially eligible to be traded on December 15th, and the Atlanta Hawks would be fools to miss on an opportunity like this. The Hawks don't desperately need a backup one, but if one became available, they would at least have to consider a move. They need a player who can space the floor for Dyson Daniels, can distribute the ball but doesn't demand touches, and is solid on defense. That player is Collin Gillespie, and the Hawks can officially trade for him in two weeks. Gillespie was a five-year player out of Villanova who was a freshman on the 2018 National Championship roster featuring Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, and Donte DiVincenzo. Entering his third NBA season at 26 years old, this was a make-or-break season for the Suns' point guard. Through 20 games, it appears Gillespie made it. He…...

1+ hour, 37+ min ago (142+ words) Onyeka Okongwu has been on fire this season and warrants a starting spot. Onyeka Okongwu has played like a top-10 center in the league this season, while Kristaps Porzingis has struggled mightily, yet Porzingis has started every game he has been healthy for." What the world missed was that Okongwu was about to have an unexpected breakout season as a shooter, while Porzingis has taken a step back from the level of play he reached even last season. At this point, there is no logical reason to continue to start Porzingis. When evaluating a starting lineup, I judge a player in three broad areas: ability, on-court fit, and personality fit. Ability-wise, Okongwu has the clear edge. He is shooting better from two and three, is a more versatile defender, and is a much better athlete than Porzingis."...

4+ hour, 29+ min ago (343+ words) Through 18 games played, including two starts and 273 minutes of basketball, Keaton Wallace has attempted just four shots at the rim. No matter how you slice it, this is flat-out inexcusable. Wallace has never been an elite shooter, but he is cashing in at 42.2% from three while averaging 2.5 a game. His newfound shooting is still a work in progress, evidenced by his hesitation letting a shot fly. Regardless, his improvement from deep is meaningless if he cannot create easy looks inside the arc. It would be less than ideal if Wallace were missing his rim attempts. But he isn't just missing; he is not even getting a shot off. His lack of rim pressure represents a hurdle Wallace must clear in his quest to carve out a safe spot on an NBA team. Keaton is a stout defender who can make…...

5+ hour, 39+ min ago (278+ words) What makes Krejci's rise more remarkable is that he began the season out of the rotation. At the tail end of the Atlanta Hawks' preseason schedule, coach Quin Snyder rested the top nine rotation members. This cast included Luke Kennard and Mo Gueye, but not Krejci, who played point guard for the Hawks' youngsters. One of Snyder's changes was granting Vit a rotation spot, and this was the correct decision in hindsight. Vit had a slow start to the season, not playing poorly per se but having little impact. In a blowout against the Los Angeles Lakers, Krejci had his first truly impactful game. He chipped in 17 points in 24 minutes, led by his smooth slashing ability. This match gave him the confidence to explode against the Clippers the following night. Krejci had one of the most entertaining shooting performances of…...

7+ hour, 37+ min ago (399+ words) Zaccharie Risacher has had a regrettable start to the season. Through his first 15 games of the season, Risacher averaged 11.3 points on 29.2% from deep and 44.2% from the field. Each of these is a regression from his rookie stats. When combined with the strange, unexplained minutes restriction levied on him, Risacher had very few positives to take away. In his past two games, however, Risacher has come alive. Despite getting trounced by the Wizards on Tuesday night, Risacher dropped 17 points on 4/9 from three and 2/3 from two in an overall smooth offensive performance. He also tallied two steals and three blocks against the Wizards, building upon his defensive improvement this season. In the following game against the Cavaliers, Risacher had 14 points on 2/3 from deep and a perfect 3/3 from two. This included the game-winning corner three, where Risacher was contested and off-balance after a…...

10+ hour, 56+ min ago (462+ words) The Atlanta Hawks have a star power forward making the leap right before their eyes as Jalen Johnson continues to dazzle and make his case for an All-Star nod. Their last "star" at power forward, John Collins, is floundering on his latest team -- a bittersweet reality for Hawks fans who both loved and hated the polarizing big man. Collins was a draft day find for the Hawks, a double-double machine who outplayed his draft slot and put up big numbers for the franchise. He also was often marginalized by Atlanta's coaches and asked to fill roles that didn't best fit his skillset. Early on he was the fan favorite who deserved more playing time; after he got paid, he was the ill-fitting piece that needed to be sent away. After years on the trade block, he was finally dealt, his…...

22+ hour, 34+ min ago (317+ words) Zaccharie Risacher was absolutely cold-blooded against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night. In addition to playing a very defensively sound 4th quarter that helped to stifle any hopes of a Cavalier comeback, Risacher drilled a corner three with a minute to go in regulation that broke the neck-and-neck battle, putting the Hawks up 126-123, ultimately securing the victory for Atlanta. Risacher had a big grin on his face as the Hawks walked off the court minutes later with victory in hand, proud to be a critical piece in a beautiful win against what were once thought to be the defenders of the Eastern Conference top dog status. This game serves as a complete 180 to what Quin Snyder has done throughout the year. Risacher's 4th-quarter minutes have been severely limited to begin the year, averaging just 4.5 fourth-quarter minutes per game prior to the…...

1+ day, 32+ min ago (391+ words) Quin Snyder has made it abundantly clear that he won't play Kristaps Porzingis and Mouhamed Gueye together. We're nearly a quarter of the way into the regular season, and the big duo has only shared the hardwood for a combined 19 minutes of play. Of course, it is incredibly unorthodox to play a double big duo, especially when Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu also exist on the same roster. The bad news about this coaching decision is that we have no tangible evidence to learn how effective Gueye and Porzingis are together. The good news is that their staggered minutes have now reached a large enough sample size to extrapolate a few meaningful trends from. Kristaps Porzingis has played 275 minutes without Mo Gueye this year, and Mo Gueye has played 263 minutes without Kristaps Porzingis - a nearly even split. Having split the…...

1+ day, 1+ hour ago (242+ words) The Atlanta Hawks have been remarkably successful this season without Trae Young (relative to expectations). On the surface, it makes no sense that the team is sixth in the East despite not having its best player. What the Hawks (and everybody else) didn't understand was that they were trying to win with a losing hand. Teams don't win with a guy as ball-dominant as Young at the helm. This lead guard interferes with his teammates' potential output and is bound to have a few off games, which is enough to lose a playoff series." The world also misunderstood what the ideal Trae Young looks like. Young can score 30 points a night, and he can be the guy who leads the team in field goal attempts on a daily basis. But should he? So, what do we make of these numbers?...

2+ day, 5+ hour ago (311+ words) Jalen Johnson's All-NBA campaign and the emergence of players such as Onyeka Okongwu, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Vit Krejci have given the Atlanta Hawks a good problem. If you remove Trae Young and Kristaps Porzingis from the picture, there is an exciting young core and a potential major addition from the New Orleans 2026 first round draft pick. Consequently, many fans are wondering if the best path forward for the franchise is to go all-in on the Jalen Johnson era by trading Young and Porzingis. The Oklahoma City Thunder traded Russell Westbrook and Paul George before their respective declines, and five years later, they were the best team in basketball. Why can't the Hawks do the same?" The problem with this path forward is that it just isn't realistic. Atlanta has proven that the Johnson-led team is around a Play-In level, meaning…...