One of the most common complaints I have heard about Woody is that the team does not have an offensive philosophy. Well here is the offensive philosophy of the team in the shortest sentence possible ... WE MILK EACH POSSESION.

What do i mean by that? Well, for each possession, the Hawks maximizes the possession by

1. Not turning the ball over

2. Getting a good shot and

3. Doing a very good job of going for the offensive rebound if it is a miss.

The Hawks are middle of the pack in 2 and 3 point FG %( 11 and 13) .However, when you consider that they are 3rd in offensive rating . which indicates that points scored per  possessions, it shows that they improve their ability to score by  not turning the ball over and doing a good job on the offensive glass.

Here are some of the stats to support my theory.

Turnover rate 1st . The Hawks lead the NBA with the least turnover. One of the main reasons I think Teague doesn't play much is his lack of ability to protect the ball. Protect the ball and you get at least a chance to get 2 points and even an offensive rebound. Turn the ball over and the opponent is more likely to score off the turnover. Thus a turnover can result in a 4 point swing....a +2 in turnover advantage can theoretically result in an 8 point swing.

Offensive rebound rate 6th. This shows that the team despite its lack of size at the 5, does a very good job crashing the boards for rebounds. I also notice that the Hawks do a very good job of tapping the ball to another player even when they are not in a good offensive rebounding position or when they are rebounding against bigger players. This is a definite strategy by the coaches because all the player do it.

Pace 27th. The Hawks take their time in getting their shots off. This can be attributed to the isolation game .The ISO, on most possessions, may not get us the best shot possible . . . but it does guarantee on most possessions that we’re going to at least get a shot up. Taking a shot and missing is better than turning the ball over, because with a missed shot, you do at least have an opportunity to rebound the basketball and get another shot up.

Fast break points 4th The hawks run a  low-risk offense  that is enhanced tremendously by our ability to get out on the break and score in transition. This is  because of the ability of our frontcourt people to get out and fill the lane .

Points in the paint 5th  in the league The points in the paint is obviously a high % shot. The Hawks makes shots based on  transition buckets, post-ups, and JJ’s floater in the lane . In the half court, our offense is definitely dependent on guys making shots when being guarded one on one.

It may not be the prettiest offense in the world, but it is VERY EFFICIENT.

And for those that criticize Woody for his offence, the HAWKS are winning because of their offence and not the DEFENCE where the Hawks are middle of the pack.