It can be hard to make sense of the Hawks.
On one hand, five of their 10 wins have come against teams without winning records, four of which include tank squads like Orlando, Detroit and Houston. On the other hand, they have wins against the likes of the Sixers, Bucks and frisky Raptors. And their last six losses have all come against good teams over .500. Overall, Atlanta enters Wednesday’s matchup with the red-hot Kings at 10–7, with a minus-0.3 net rating. While there are reasons to be bullish on this team—a starry backcourt, talented young players coming into their own, a weak division—there are also reasons for pause. And one issue in particular is rather confounding: the offense.
Through 17 games, Atlanta currently has the 19th-ranked offense in the NBA, behind the likes of the Knicks and Thunder. The Hawks’ 110.8 offensive rating would be the franchise’s worst mark since 2020, when they finished 25th in offensive efficiency. Despite the addition of Dejounte Murray in the summer, Atlanta’s had a Tower of Terror–level drop in scoring since last season, when it finished second in offensive rating. (The Hawks finished ninth in ’21.) And the culprit is staring Atlanta in the face like a baby watching TV: three-point shooting.
