Here we are with another week of power rankings and it looks like the Hawks had a very up and down week. Part of me wonders if the Hawks are truly inconsistent due to the win-loss-win-loss pattern or if this team is just tired. Hopefully, we won't see too many back to backs and four games in five nights in the near future for this team. So with that being said, let's get started with the rankings.
John Schuhmann of NBA.com starts things off for us this week with putting the Hawks at No. 9.
The Hawks might not have four All-Stars again this year, but Paul Millsap is looking good for his third straight selection. He's averaging career highs in points, rebounds, assists and steals. And even though he's shooting more threes, his free throw rate is the highest its been since his rookie season. He totaled 48 points and 23 boards in two good wins (vs. Boston and at Memphis) last week.
Next up is Marc Stein of ESPN.com drops the Hawks to No. 11.
It would be easier to launch into a deep discussion on Al Horford's 22 3-pointers in November, compared to the 21 he sank in his first eight NBA seasons, if the Hawks weren't in a 4-7 funk. This past week, though, did feature Atlanta's two top performances for nearly a month in the home rout of Boston and Friday's offensive eruption in Memphis.
Matt Moore of CBSsports.com puts the Hawks right at No. 10 and mentions how they are an infuriating team to predict.
This team drives me nuts. They have a good run, then fall apart, then get a monster win vs. the Grizzlies in Memphis. The loss to the Spurs on the back to back, fourth in five nights was a schedule loss. But how do you possibly feel good night to night about what you're going to get out of this team?
Jeremy Woo of SI.com manages to drop the Hawks to No. 10.
Atlanta hit the brakes after a scalding first two weeks and has been polarizing since, blowing out Boston and getting smacked by 30 against San Antonio. They’ve been a little banged up, but last season’s consistency has been an afterthought. Home tilts against OKC and Toronto make for a decent litmus test this week.
Finally, Kurt Helin of NBCsports.com keeps the Hawks at No. 10 and makes mention of how good Paul Millsap is.
They went 2-2 last week but the wins were quality ones — against Boston and Memphis. They are doing it with a top 10 offense on the season and great play from Paul Millsap, but things have flattened out some the past few weeks.
That does it for the rankings this week and as we can see, there are many different thoughts on the state of our Hawks for this week. Hopefully, the Hawks can string some wins together and show some encouraging signs so that they can move up in the conference and in the rankings. As always, let me know what you think of the rankings and the state of the Hawks this week.