'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Atlanta Hawks worked tremendously in the 2020 NBA off-season to be competitive in the 2020-21 NBA campaign, and their front office work, headed by Travis Schlenk, paid off in the NBA Playoffs.
The Atlanta Hawks finished the regular season with a 41-31 record and the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference standings. Trae Young guided the team's offense, alongside John Collins, while the team was decent on the defensive end.
Even though the team eventually made a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals after beating the New York Knicks and the favored Philadelphia 76ers (the top seed of the East), the road was not easy throughout the year.
5 Issues for Atlanta Hawks in the 2020-21 NBA season
Key decisions were made by the front office during the Atlanta Hawks' NBA campaign, and the team ended the regular season strongly even after suffering some setbacks through injuries.
Lloyd Pierce started the year as the Atlanta Hawks' head coach, but though the team got off to a 4-1 start, Pierce was fired on March 1st, when the team was 14-20.
Nate McMillan took over the head coaching duties, and the team performed great with him at the helm. With McMillan on the sidelines, the Atlanta Hawks finished the year with a 27-11 record and went on a deep postseason run.
Moreover, with McMillan, the Hawks were 13th in Defensive Rating, while they were 21st throughout the entire year in that same category.
In this article, we will see five issues the Atlanta Hawks had to overcome during the 2020-21 NBA season, which ultimately ended in a loss against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Without further ado, let us start.
#5 Rajon Rondo's signing
Rajon Rondo was available in Free Agency after winning the 2020 NBA championship with the LA Lakers and arguably being the third-best player on the LA roster in the 2020 NBA Playoffs.
As the Atlanta Hawks were looking to solidify their backcourt with Trae Young, Rondo's experience looked good for the franchise. Ultimately, the two-time NBA champion point guard signed a two-year, $15-million deal with the Atlanta Hawks in Free Agency.
However, injuries and the health and safety protocols hurt Rondo's tenure with the Atlanta Hawks, as he was able to play only 27 games from the start of the year until he was traded to the LA Clippers on the March 25th deadline.
#4 Bad start to the NBA regular season
The first major hurdle in the Atlanta Hawks' 2020-21 NBA campaign came right after starting the season with a 4-1 record, which included a win over the Brooklyn Nets on the road, with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving playing for the opposition.
After getting off to a 4-1 start, the Atlanta Hawks went on a downhill path and lost 19 of their next 29 games under Lloyd Pierce. That difficult streak ended with a coaching change, and the team quickly went on an eight-game winning streak under Nate McMillan and established itself.
#3 Kris Dunn's injury in the regular season
The Atlanta Hawks signing Kris Dunn in the 2020 NBA Free Agency was another great move from the front office, as the team needed Dunn's elite defense in order to leave behind a terrible 2019-20 campaign in terms of defensive performance (the team ranked 27th in Defensive Rating that year).
Dunn was coming off a good year with the Chicago Bulls, averaging two steals per game in the 2019-20 campaign and posting a 106 Defensive Rating. However, he was unable to contribute to the Atlanta Hawks' cause in the 2020-21 NBA regular season, as an ankle injury only allowed him to play four regular-season games.
#2 De'Andre Hunter's injury in the NBA Playoffs
De'Andre Hunter became the team's best perimeter defender heading into the 2021 NBA postseason, even after playing just 23 games in the regular season due to knee injuries.
He averaged 15 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in the regular season, before averaging 10.8 points per game with 40/37.5/75 shooting splits in a five-game, first-round series against the New York Knicks.
However, Hunter's postseason ended when he suffered a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee. He had to undergo surgery and miss the rest of the postseason.
#1 Ultimately, Trae Young's ankle injury was too much for the Atlanta Hawks
Even though injuries were definitely negatively impactful in the Atlanta Hawks' 2020-21 NBA campaign at different stages, Trae Young's injury in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals was the most decisive blow to the Hawk's year.
Young averaged 25.3 points and 9.4 assists per game in the regular season, and then put up 28.8 points and 9.5 assists per game in the NBA Playoffs.
However, when he stepped on an official's foot during a loss against the Milwaukee Bucks in the ECF, Young had to miss the fourth and fifth games of the series, before returning to play in Game 6 clearly hindered by a bone bruise in his foot.
His injury was a huge blow for the Atlanta Hawks in the ECF, where the Milwaukee Bucks also suffered an injury to their best player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had to miss the last two games with a hyperextended knee.
Young's injury was decisive for the Atlanta Hawks' chances in the ECF, even though the team managed to win Game 4 without him.
Also read: 5 Players with most career three-pointers made in NBA Finals history
Guess the Lakers players!
