Fansided

Midseason Grades for Each NBA Team

By Cody Williams

Jan 14, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers small forward LeBron James (23) is defended by San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 14, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers small forward LeBron James (23) is defended by San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 31
Next
Nov 18, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Lamar Patterson (13) celebrates a play with center Al Horford (15, left), forward Paul Millsap (4), and guard Dennis Schroder (17) in the fourth quarter of their game against the Sacramento Kings at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 103-97. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 18, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Lamar Patterson (13) celebrates a play with center Al Horford (15, left), forward Paul Millsap (4), and guard Dennis Schroder (17) in the fourth quarter of their game against the Sacramento Kings at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 103-97. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

Atlanta Hawks. B. player. 125. . 26-17. 3rd East

Quite frankly, it’s hard not to be at least a tad underwhelmed by the Atlanta Hawks through the first half of the 2015-16 NBA season. That’s not to say that they haven’t been impressive at times as they currently sit at the No. 4 seed in a competitive Eastern Conference at the midway point of the year, because they have. However, in comparison to what they were able to accomplish last season, it’s clear that they’ve taken a step back.

Everyone knew that the departure of DeMarre Carroll in free agency after he played such a pivotal role for the Hawks last season was going to have lingering effects on the Hawks. However, the question was to what degree. As Atlanta has subsequently been forced to rely on a combination of Kent Bazemore and Thabo Sefolosha in that role this season and as they haven’t had the same versatility in regards to being able to play small-ball, the absence of Carroll has been wholly evident.

The Hawks are still a high-quality team in the East and have proven to be that through the first half of the year. That being said, Atlanta is notably worse than they were last season and that has to be taken into account when assessing their performance midseason. Therefore, a firmly above-average B feels like the right place to rate the Hawks.

Next: Boston Celtics

Home/Atlanta Hawks