Mike Budenholzer pondering change to Atlanta Hawks starting lineup, per report

Update: Budenholzer announced pregame that he would, in fact, give Kent Bazemore the start. He cited "getting the right mix" as the reasoning behind the choice while complimenting both players.

----

The Atlanta Hawks have not performed at a particularly high level in recent days, and as a result, a report has emerged that Mike Budenholzer could be considering a change to the team's starting lineup.

Sources: Atlanta Hawks guard Kent Bazemore is expected to return to the starting lineup tonight. Hawks are 9-4 with Bazemore as a starter.

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) December 14, 2015

Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops brings word of such consideration, to the point where he reports Kent Bazemore is "expected" to join the starters on Monday against the Miami Heat. As of the time of this post, this speculation is unconfirmed, but it is certainly interesting.

Thabo Sefolosha has started the last ten games that he has appeared in for Atlanta, and during that time, the team is just 4-6. However, the lineup featuring Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, Sefolosha, Paul Millsap and Al Horford is outscoring opponents by 7.4 points per 100 possessions this season, while the same group with Bazemore inserted on the wing is actually being outscored by 3.7 points per 100 possessions.

As always, there is some nuance involved here, and lineup construction throughout the game is affected by the choice of a starting group. Still, Budenholzer has recently posited that this starting lineup (with Sefolosha) would be left alone for a while, and a quick trigger on a move like this would seem to act in opposition to that statement, even with the backdrop of a 9-4 record when Bazemore starts.

We will find out soon enough, but whispers are, at the very least, beginning that Budenholzer could be pondering a change.