The Atlanta Hawks are averaging 116.7 points per game through the first 55 games of the NBA season but, make no mistake, the 2024-25 Hawks are a defense-first team. That may be shocking to those not paying close attention to the Hawks, particularly given the team's recent history and the presence of Trae Young, but it is true through the lens of Atlanta's statistical profile and roster makeup.
At the All-Star break, the Hawks are tied for 14th in the NBA in defensive efficiency, yielding only 1.135 points per possession. That is, quite obviously, not an elite figure, but it represents tangible growth when compared to previous iterations. For example, the Hawks finished 27th in the NBA in defensive efficiency during a disappointing 2023-24 campaign in which they won only 36 games and eventually jettisoned Dejounte Murray to New Orleans. Prior to that, Atlanta was 22nd in the league in 2022-23, 26th in the league in 2021-22, and even 18th in the league during the 2020-21 season in which the Hawks made an unexpected run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
In fact, the last time Atlanta finished with an above-average mark in defensive efficiency was 2016-17. That team, anchored by Paul Millsap, finished fourth in the league and managed to scratch out 43 wins despite a bottom-five offense. Coincidentally, that was also the final season tied to a previous era, with the Hawks pivoting to a rebuild that eventually landed the top-five pick used to select Young in 2018.
The Hawks are building a devastating defense
In glancing away from the raw numbers, the 2024-25 Hawks are also built with a sharp eye toward the defensive end. Young remains an offense-first player and one of the more dynamic offensive hubs in the NBA, but he is intentionally surrounded with length and defensive acumen in a way that the Hawks have been trying to replicate for a half-decade. It certainly helps that Young has improved his own individual defense, but Atlanta has intentionally sacrificed some of its offensive firepower, namely in the area of perimeter shooting, to firm up its defensive weaknesses. It is a gradual process for Hawks GM Landry Fields and company, but a trio of athletic, dynamic, and skilled perimeter pieces form a strong foundation for this defensive plan around Young.
Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, and Zaccharie Risacher are all at different points of their respective NBA careers, but each slots in beautifully to Atlanta's plan. Daniels, who was acquired in the deal that sent Murray to New Orleans, is enjoying a full-fledged breakout in his third NBA season. Though Daniels flashed his considerable defensive talent with the Pelicans, his role expanded immediately in Atlanta, and the results have been spectacular, earning the Australian Daniels the trendy nickname of "The Great Barrier Thief."
Through the first "half" of the season, Daniels has, conservatively, been one of the 10 best defenders in the NBA this season and a clear contender for first-team NBA All-Defense honors. His calling card is havoc creation, with Daniels leading the league in steals and averaging more per game (2.98) than any NBA player since the 1991-92 season. Daniels is averaging more than one full steal more per game than the No. 2 player in the league (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander), and he also holds an absolutely mammoth lead on the field in deflections, averaging 6.1 per game with no other player north of 4.5 per contest.
Daniels is, quite clearly, an elite defensive playmaker, but he is also a well-rounded defender. For example, Basketball Index grades him as the player with the most difficult individual matchups in the NBA this season, and the Hawks ask Daniels to take on elite players with varying skill sets. He is also elite at defending without fouling, which is a skill set that is even more impressive when combined with his playmaking chops. Needless to say, Atlanta is encouraged by his third NBA season.
Elsewhere, neither Johnson nor Risacher is quite at the level of Daniels at this stage, but both bring clear bonafides to the table. Johnson, who is unfortunately sidelined for the remainder of the 2024-25 season with a torn labrum, is the team's best secondary rim protector by a wide margin. He is hyper-athletic and instinctual, allowing Atlanta's perimeter defenders to have confidence in the help that awaits when Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, and others are waiting behind them. Johnson is also an elite defensive rebounder, which is an important part of the defensive experience.
Johnson ranks in the top 20 of the NBA in defensive rebound percentage (25.7 percent) and in the top 10 of the NBA in defensive rebounds per game (8.3). Only Giannis Antetokounmpo averages more defensive rebounds among non-centers, and Johnson adds in a top-15 mark in steals (1.6 per game) and a top-50 mark in blocked shots. Like Daniels, Johnson also defends well without fouling, averaging only 2.4 fouls per 100 possessions, and that massive improvement in his fourth NBA season has helped Johnson to play nearly 36 minutes per game without foul issues.
Risacher, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, is still learning his craft as a 19-year-old rookie, but he checks the boxes the Hawks were looking for when they invested a precious asset to select him. At 6-foot-9, Risacher uses his length well to deter opponents, and he is consistently in the right place at the right time, which is not a small thing for a first-year player. It remains to be seen how high Risacher's ceiling is on the defensive end, and he certainly needs to get stronger and more physical. However, he has already shown a very encouraging floor on the defensive end, and his length allows for versatility in lineup construction.
Atlanta's defensive plan, in short, centers on surrounding Young with length and versatility on the defensive end. With the trio of Daniels, Johnson, and Risacher, they are well on their way to executing that plan. Okongwu is also performing quite well in his first stint as the entrenched starter at the center position, and the Hawks also added to their defensive infrastructure with the addition of quality veterans in Terance Mann and Caris LeVert at the 2025 Trade Deadline.
It will be interesting to see if the Hawks can coax the offensive growth needed to match this defensive intrigue with the team's more encouraging offensive results of the early 2020's, but the next time someone tells you that Atlanta "can't build a defense around Trae Young," you will know that sentiment is incorrect.