Hawks First Week Recap: Positives and negatives

Last night, the Hawks were looking to end their back-to-back losses to the Houston Rockets and extend the offensive funk for the Miami Heat, who hadn’t won a game heading into the matchup. Rather than reclaiming a winning record however, the Hawks became the Heat’s first win of the season and fell to 2-3, with all three losses coming one after another.

This game also officially concluded the first week of the season for the Hawks. While a season is certainly not won or lost in the first week, there are several positives and negatives for the Hawks to take away from their first week of action.

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Positive: Turning steals into points

Thanks in large part to the expected defensive brilliance of Dyson Daniels, the Hawks rank fourth in the league in total steals. Not only are the Hawks ending possessions, but they are converting forced turnovers to points on the other end. The team ranks fourth in points off turnovers as well.

A large part of the scoring is their ability to push in transition and convert, ranking in the top five in fastbreak points. The Hawks are composed of tenacious defenders and talented ball handlers, which are ingredients in the perfect recipe for pushing the envelope in transition. This trend being a part of their identity will make them a dangerous team going forward.

Negative: Interior Play

If you’ve watched any of the three losses for the Hawks this season, you’ve probably noticed they are putting on their best matador impression in the painted area. In the three losses, they’ve been significantly outrebounded (147-117) and outscored in the paint (172 versus 164). At one point, in the second matchup against the Rockets, the Hawks were being outrebounded 14-4.

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The Heat scored 70 points in the paint, which was more than half of their total scoring output. Averaging the third fewest blocks in the league, the Hawks offer defensive resistance down low that is similar to using a piece of scotch tape to prevent a truck from driving through your house. If this trend continues throughout the season, the Hawks will put a heavy burden on their offense that may not be…


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Publish date : 2026-10-29 17:35:00

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