The Atlanta Hawks managed to hold onto the eighth-seed in the Eastern Conference and push the Indiana Pacers to seven games before bowing out. They did that without their best player, center Al Horford, who played in just 29 games before tearing his pectoral.
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Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders believes the Hawks can contend for the Southeast Division crown provided Horford is healthy.
"A Hawks team with a healthy Horford could really be something, especially in the Eastern Conference, this season. The key component to that equation is Horford has to remain healthy. We’ve seen what the Hawks can do without him, now it’s time to see what they can do with him. In 29 games, Horford was averaging 18.6 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting a blistering 57 percent from the field before going down with that injury. With all of the talk about centers squarely on players like Howard and Noah, Horford is another player not getting nearly enough praise. Horford has been plagued by injuries before and it will likely take him playing a full season injury-free in order to get himself mentioned in the same breath as the other elite big men. With a healthy Horford, the Hawks might find themselves competing with the HEAT, Wizards and Hornets for the Southeast Division crown."
A core of Horford, big man Paul Millsap and point guard Jeff Teague (we’ll throw swingman Kyle Korver in as well) is more than solid and the Hawks are definitely a threat to advance past the first round in the postseason.
Horford averaged 18.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 56.7% from the field, 36.4% from beyond the arc and 68.2% from the charity stripe. In his seven-year career, the third-overall pick in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft, has put up 14.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 54.1% from the floor, 34.5% from three and 73.5% from the charity stripe.
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