Atlanta Hawks v Milwaukee Bucks - Game Five — MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JULY 01: Khris Middleton #22 of the Milwaukee Bucks goes up for a shot against Clint Capela #15 of the Atlanta Hawks during the first half in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Finals at Fiserv Forum on July 01, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Could a Lineup Change Help the Hawks Against the Bucks?

The Hawks have not been a good defensive team all season, but they lose versatility and athleticism without Jalen Johnson. Johnson got injured in last week’s win over the Wizards and Atlanta is 1-2 without him. The defensive problems were apparent in all three games as well. Johnson is a valuable defender and can guard multiple positions. You could see in the games against the Celtics and the Cavaliers, that he would have been valuable to have guarding Jayson Tatum and Evan Mobley.

I thought that Victor Wembanyama was going to provide a huge mismatch for the Hawks and that Saddiq Bey might need to come off the bench. Atlanta started him and Bey’s defensive struggles continued. Johnson’s first start of the year came in the first matchup against Milwaukee and it proved effective. It allowed him to matchup with Giannis and Capela to guard Lopez. If Bey starts, that makes things easier for Giannis and Lillard in matchups.

Snyder talked after the game that they can’t do the same things on defense without Johnson.

Now, he does not play many minutes alongside Capela and the Hawks have not tried a lineup of Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, De’Andre Hunter, Okongwu, and Capela, but having Okongwu in would allow him to matchup with Giannis and he has guarded Antetokounmp well. It would also allow Capela to have a natural matchup with Lopez. Spacing would be a concern of course.

This season, Okongwu has shown a willingness to take three-point shots, but he has not been very good at making them. He would have to be able to keep defenses honest if this is a change that Snyder is interested in.

I don’t think this should be a permanent fixture for Atlanta, but one that is matchup-dependent. Bey would struggle with a frontcourt of Giannis and Lopez and Okongwu would give them the defense they need. This is the kind of matchup that the Hawks should explore tonight vs Milwaukee.

On Thursday evening, Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks improved their record on the young 2023-24 season to 9-9, good for ninth place in the Eastern Conference, with a narrow win over the San Antonio Spurs. Young was electric in this one, scoring 45 points and dishing out 14 assists in the victory, but it was on the defensive end of the floor where he made the play of the game to seal the 137-135 win for Atlanta.

The play occurred when the Hawks turned the ball over on an inbounds with just seconds left, allowing Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan to drive down to the other end of the floor with a chance to either tie or win the game. Instead, Young beat him to the basket and stood in to take a charge, giving the ball back to the Hawks and essentially sealing the win.

After the game, Young got one hundred percent honest on what he was thinking as the play unfolded.

“I knew he was going to try to get to the basket. It was a transition play,” said Young, per Bally Sports: Hawks on X. “I was the only one back. I could only foul him or try to take a charge, so I just stood over and tried to take a charge.”

Trae Young, to his credit, has made noticeable strides on the defensive end of the floor since the hiring of head coach Quin Snyder last year. While he might not ever be a positive on that end of the floor, he deserves credit for making himself less easy for opposing teams to attack.

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Sad news: Could a Lineup Change Help the Hawks Against Milwaukee?

Could a Lineup Change Help the Hawks Against the Bucks?

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