Good stuff by Hollinger re:Hawks today
Side note, not sure why Hollinger gets as much hate as he does here. It's unfortunate smarter fans have to be so hard on everyone. He's not NBA god or anything, but he's miles better than Ric Bucher or Scoop Jackson or anyone on TV for that matter. His PER Diem is definitely a daily read with Kelly Dwyer's 'Behind the Box Score' and Basketball Prospectus 'Unfiltered'
Quote:
• The volume approach: After Wednesday night's 110-97 win over Memphis, the Hawks have nudged ahead of Phoenix as the league's most efficient offense by .004 of a point. This is despite the fact they aren't breaking any records for accuracy: The Hawks are just 10th in the NBA in true shooting percentage at 55.3 percent. Break it down further and it's a pretty average résumé: Atlanta is eighth in field goal percentage, 12th from behind the 3-point line and below the league average in drawing free throws.
So how are they leading the league in offense? It's simple -- they don't shoot better, they simply shoot more often. The Hawks are the league's only team averaging more than a shot per possession (where "shots" are defined as field goal attempts plus 0.44 times free throw attempts), so even though they aren't as accurate, their volume approach pays dividends.
Atlanta generates numerous shot attempts with a two-pronged approach. First, they crash the boards -- the Hawks' offensive rebound rate of 30.4 is third best in the league. But it's not because of whom you might suspect: Big men Josh Smith and Al Horford have pretty ordinary offensive rebounding numbers.
Instead, the Hawks are so good on the offensive boards for two reasons. First, because of their size on the wings -- both Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams rate well above the norm in offensive rebounds. Second, and perhaps more importantly, is the prodigious effort of their frontcourt reserves -- Zaza Pachulia ranks ninth among centers in offensive rebound rate, Joe Smith is sixth among power forwards and Maurice Evans is 18th among small forwards.
The other key to Atlanta's approach is it rarely turns it over. In fact, the Hawks' turnover rate of 20.0 is by far the lowest in the league. This is a testament to the ability of the Hawks' guards to create shots. Jamal Crawford and Johnson may not always generate high-percentage looks, but because they can create a shot at any time they often squeeze one off instead of forcing a ball into traffic. Horford helps here, too: His turnover rate is among the lowest at the center position despite the fact he often dribbles the ball to start transitions.
Additionally, Atlanta's up-tempo style also helps reduce turnovers, as the Hawks often can get a quick shot up with only one or two passes. Wednesday night was a good example, as the Hawks scored 31 fast-break points but had only 14 turnovers. Atlanta also corralled 19 offensive boards on 48 misses, helping the Hawks roll past the Grizzlies despite shooting a lower percentage and attempting fewer tree throws than their opponent. The key? As per usual, Atlanta took 17 more shots.
That's a lot more shats!
