Wiz of Awes
Fansided

Washington Wizards Southeast Division Preview: Wizards vs. Atlanta Hawks

By Ben Mehic

facebooktwitterreddit

Washington Wizards NBA Southeast Division Preview 2016: The Atlanta Hawks, like the Wizards, underwent a serious makeover this summer.

NBA purgatory is an actual place and the Atlanta Hawks have called it home for years.

Led by Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, the Hawks were a middle of the pack team for years and hardly obtained substantial success in the NBA Playoffs.

A few seasons ago, once Mike Budenholzer took over the team, Atlanta began to embrace the pace-and-space movement, winning 60 games in 2015.

The Spurs-east, as many called them, resembled a modern basketball team.

Budenholzer focused on maintaining a high level of defense while effectively spacing the floor on the opposite end. The likes of Al Horford, Paul Millsap, DeMarre Carroll, Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver all had their best individual seasons with the Hawks, forming one of the most dominant teams in the entire league.

Those days are seemingly over, though.

Horford is now with the Boston Celtics, Carroll has been replaced by Kent Bazemore and Teague was shipped to the Indiana Pacers this summer in order to clear up playing time for the younger Dennis Schroder.

The Southeast Division has always been competitive, with the Miami Heat and Hawks atop the standings, but the road has been cleared for other teams to creep up and steal a spot.

The Washington Wizards are one of those teams hoping to finally win the division – something they haven’t done since 1979.

Key additions:

Key losses:

  • Al Horford
  • Jeff Teague

Losing your best player is a tough situation to bounce back from, but the Hawks did all they could to replace Horford’s presence by adding Howard

The problem is, Horford is the complete opposite of Howard, and not in a good way.

More from Wiz of Awes

Horford has low-key been one of the most productive big men in the NBA and his effectiveness goes far beyond the boxscore.

He’s one of the best passing bigs in the league, can hit the outside shot and defends the pick-and-roll well.

Howard has ruined his reputation in the locker room, has pouted about not getting touches and still hasn’t found a way to impact the game silently.

His inability to make free throws or score with his back to the basket will certainly hurt the Hawks’ spacing.

Horford and Millsap complemented each other on the court. It remains to be seen how well Howard and Millsap will mesh.

Theoretically, Millsap could play the stretch four position while Howard is utilized more as a pick-and-roll big. Still, Horford’s passing from the mid-post area and face-up game will be missed.

Inevitably, the spacing will suffer with Howard on the floor.

The center and point guard positions are arguably the most important in basketball and the Hawks have two new leaders at both spots.

Schroder has shown flashes of brilliance, but he’s never taken on such a role in the NBA. In a league that’s filled with star point guards, Schroder will be outmatched on most nights.

Howard is incredibly reliant on guards and the burden of creating will be on Schroder’s shoulders. It’s sink or swim for him, especially since he’s in a contract season.

How the Washington Wizards match up

A lot of the Hawks’ success will be determined by how well the new faces acclimate to the changing environment.

Howard, in particular, is going to be looked at under a microscope. He’s been rather underwhelming lately and he’s playing at home.

More from Wiz of Awes

Howard will turn 31 during the season and hasn’t lived up to his potential since he left the Los Angeles Lakers a few years ago.

With that said, the Washington Wizards know that their starting five will produce.

The sample size wasn’t too big, but when John Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter, Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat were on the court together, the Wizards were able to compete against any team in the East.

Continuity, in many ways, is the most important aspect of a successful team.

The core of the group is returning for Washington and the same cannot be said for Atlanta.

At point guard, we can safely say that Wall will get the edge over Schroder. Bradley Beal should finally have a breakthrough year, so we’ll give him the nod over 35-year-old Kyle Korver.

Bazemore signed a $70 million deal this off-season and he should also have a career season. The Hawks, at least individually, will have a better frontcourt than Washington.

Both teams have plenty of question marks surrounding them, but the Hawks’ are more important. It’s not a coincidence that teams with Howard – since he left the Orlando Magic – have been disappointing.

Right now, the Wizards seem to be a more stable team than the Hawks. The changes both have underwent this off-season are real. Neither team will look familiar this upcoming season. The ball movement and spacing that the Hawks were known for with Horford is gone.

Next: Wall, Wizards Are Being Overlooked Again

The Southeast Division is going to be wide open and Horford’s departure could make all of the difference. If anyone could make the changes work, it’s coach Budenholzer. His plate, though, is going to be full.

Home/Wizards News