If one were to say that the Atlanta Hawks would be the #1 seed in the East, that would seem far fetched. The Atlanta Hawks have become a serious threat to take the Eastern conference, even if the Cavaliers have recently added JR Smith and Iman Shumpert to add fire to their bench. In a conference that's supposed to either be won by the Cavaliers or Bulls, the Hawks have something to say about that.
Why are they so good?
The Atlanta Hawks are impressing everyone with their play. This season, the Hawks have already defeated the Bulls, Mavericks, Cavaliers, Clippers, and TrailBlazers. With that being said, what makes the Hawks such a good team?
The play of their backcourt has been outstanding. Point guard Jeff Teague (one of the most underrated players in the league) has averaged a team high 17 points per game to go along with 7 assist. Shooting guard Kyle Korver has averaged 12 points to go along with 5 rebounds per game. While the 5 rebounds per game may not seem significant, this has been one of the results of Korver's hard work to elevate his game. When Kyle Korver first entered the NBA, he was just a pure 3-point shooter. Throughout the past few years, Korver has developed his game to make himself more valuable. He has hustled way more than in previous years, and has drastically improved his defense. Point guard Jeff Teague has been balling for a couple of years now. Each and every year, Teague has increased his points per game average. Right now, Teague is a playing at an all-star level.
For once, Atlanta has a HEALTHY backcourt. It always seemed like either Paul Milsap or Al Horford would be injured. The scary thing about this team is that they made alot of noise without one of their top player's in Horford. Well, thus far this season, Atlanta has finally had everyone healthy. Needless to say, it has paid dividends.
