Atlanta Hawks: Jamal Crawford’s ‘instant offense’ on slow drip
Jamal is finding it tougher to attack this season. (AP Photo)
First, Jamal wanted me to pass along a message to my blog people: He reads all of your comments and he still loves you all. Killin’ em with kindness, I guess.
With that out of the way, it’s been clear that the instant offensive jolt Jamal regularly provided under Woody has gone missing at times as L.D. moves to a more structured approach. Jamal is an instinctive scorer, adept at having the ball in his hands and attacking off the dribble, and now he’s being asked to play off the ball and set the table more often.
The Hawks have found more offensive balance than they’ve had in the past with L.D.’s approach. But for Jamal it’s meant a move away from the comfort zone he enjoyed last season.
“I think it’s some adjusting for him,” L.D. said. “Because he is such a good one-on-one players, I am trying to put him in more situations where he is running a lot more pick-and-rolls. I sat him down and told him he is playing very unselfishly, and he is making plays and getting the ball to his teammates. And he is showing to be a willing passer.
“When he and Joe play like that, I think that makes us a better ball club. Now teams can’t key in on individual guys to play one-on-one and they’ve got their defense set.”
After a spike in Jamal’s shooting percentage last season, it’s slipped back down to his career mark (though he was quick to note that with such a small sample size, a few good shooting games would pull it back up). His true shooting percentage hasn’t dipped as much because he’s taking and making more free throws. Jamal is taking about four less shots per game so far (though his attempts per minutes played are actually up from 2.2 to 2.9), his assist percentage is up slightly and his turnovers rate is up significantly.
I’d argue that, based on observation, Jamal also has shown more willingness to defend; he said L.D. told him the same thing. It’s not reflected by the on-court/off-court numbers (or by his lackluster effort against Dallas Saturday, though he was hardly alone among the guards) and I’m not saying he’s suddenly locking anyone down. But I’ve seen him more often aggressively fight through screens, keep his energy up throughout possessions and make up ground to challenge shooters.
What I haven’t seen much is the 2009-10, instant offense version of Jamal, and that’s something the Hawks could use as their bench continues to sag against better competition.
“I have got to put him in more opportunities where he gets more shots because he is a shotmaker,” L.D. said. “I’ve already sat him down and told him that. But he’s adjusting well. As I told him, he’s a guy coming off the bench that I need the instant offense, but I also need good decision-making. He has shown that he is committed to that.”
MC
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376 comments Add your comment
cp
November 22nd, 2010
7:55 pm
whats even more frustrating about the bench is that there were good players available for the cheap that actually make contributions on the court.
~~MAC-ToWN~~ (Area Code 478 Westside Macon)
November 22nd, 2010
7:56 pm
Garnett must have told the whole Hawks team they are cancerous to the hawks organization and the league.
bigdave
November 22nd, 2010
7:56 pm
lol @ just the sound of the name Marvin Williams.
Samuel
November 22nd, 2010
7:56 pm
Naj,
It just shows how dumb the ASG is. Practically all of our games start at 7:00, which is stupid considering the traffic mess here in Atlanta. Consequently, we had a ghost town in Phillips every night.
Wabe
November 22nd, 2010
7:57 pm
Here’s the thing Samuel…
Woodrow may have had these guys winning more games…
But, his style of play got torched in the playoffs. He had these guys overachieve?
What Scott Skiles did against the Hawks (taking us to 7 with far less talent) is called overachieiving…
Had the Hawks pressed the Magic a bit last season, then yes, you could argue we overachieved – because Orlando has more talent. But, we got washed. Washed beyond washed.
Woody’s style of play was a major reason the Hawks layed dud upon dud in the playoffs. The game slows down, and his ISO ball and that switching defense may have been alright in the regular season, but, in the playoffs, when you see a team game after game – and you do the same thing over and over with little to no adjustments – your technique is flawed.
No point in winning 50+ games and then get washed by a team whose ranked a seed higher than you are.
~~MAC-ToWN~~ (Area Code 478 Westside Macon)
November 22nd, 2010
7:57 pm
maaaaaaaaaaan
Melvin
November 22nd, 2010
7:58 pm
Celtics are trying to let the Hawks back into the game but the Hawks dont want it bad enough….
~~MAC-ToWN~~ (Area Code 478 Westside Macon)
November 22nd, 2010
7:58 pm
now can this guy get into a groove
~~MAC-ToWN~~ (Area Code 478 Westside Macon)
November 22nd, 2010
7:59 pm
Marvin’s not even a good jump shooter anymore
Najeh Davenpoop
November 22nd, 2010
7:59 pm
I don’t know if it’s even worth repeating at this point, but Marvin is flat out terrible.
Melvin
November 22nd, 2010
7:59 pm
Take Josh out…
cp
November 22nd, 2010
8:00 pm
I guess it would make to much sense to let Twin guard Shaq. He wont stop him but he will make him work a lot harder than Al can
jean
November 22nd, 2010
8:01 pm
joe johnson is the new alan houston they should have resigned jamal for a 3rd of that contract and signed Scola or Boozer clown team clown coach
bigdave
November 22nd, 2010
8:01 pm
Turrble.. (Barkley voice)
Melvin
November 22nd, 2010
8:01 pm
Note to Rick Sund. Size matter… Hawks are getting killed in the paint b/c they are too small…
doc
November 22nd, 2010
8:01 pm
samuel, they look like the same team i saw woody coaching last year in the playoffs. i dont see anything different about them at all. sorry samuel, it isnt about the coach it is about the culture of management called ASKG.
samuel, i know you want to be right. wrong, they were very sorry last year and developed all these bad habits on his watch didnt they? be honest now, your cred is at risk. unfortunately, as many suspected, changing coaches from inside wasnt going to get it. much tooo much familiarity. you are rght woody got a lot with nothing only what you see is what he developed and was abused last year against the inferior bucks wit injuries and a better coach and really abused against the magic where both coach and players were superior.
Rev in Tampa
November 22nd, 2010
8:02 pm
Except for Jordan Crawford the Hawks have done nothing this game.
Samuel
November 22nd, 2010
8:02 pm
Wabe,
Would you rather win 50 games and get torched in the 2nd round to a better team or win 42 games, finish in the 6-8 spot and get beat in the 1st round?
lukas
November 22nd, 2010
8:03 pm
MC,
Could you please ask LD if he has thought about bringing Marvin from the bench. We are tired of the invisible-man display.
bigdave
November 22nd, 2010
8:04 pm
“pretty good play by me from Joe”
-Nique
cp
November 22nd, 2010
8:04 pm
Melvin for some reason Sund doesn’t get that. He is happy as long as the Hawks are a top 4 team. I guess he didn’t take in consideration that other teams got better and that this core has probably peaked.
~~MAC-ToWN~~ (Area Code 478 Westside Macon)
November 22nd, 2010
8:05 pm
all that…only to have allen drain the 3
bigdave
November 22nd, 2010
8:06 pm
whatever Joe..
Wabe
November 22nd, 2010
8:06 pm
Samuel
November 22nd, 2010
8:02 pm
Wabe,
Would you rather win 50 games and get torched in the 2nd round to a better team or win 42 games, finish in the 6-8 spot and get beat in the 1st round?
Same ish, isn’t it?
I mean, is there any point in getting to the 2nd round and getting beat by 20+ every night? Waste of 4 nights watching pathetic games.
doc
November 22nd, 2010
8:06 pm
tough three there by allen after good d but no one to pick it up before allen got it.
cp
November 22nd, 2010
8:07 pm
lol bigdave. being torched out there is bad enough but listening to Nique tonight just adds more pain
Wabe
November 22nd, 2010
8:07 pm
lol
i know Horford was probably just pumped after his block on Pierce, but someone should tell him we’re down 20+…
Wabe
November 22nd, 2010
8:08 pm
The Falcons are the one and only team in this city that I can bank on…
Arthur Blank, buy the damn Hawks.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 22nd, 2010
8:08 pm
“Would you rather win 50 games and get torched in the 2nd round to a better team or win 42 games, finish in the 6-8 spot and get beat in the 1st round?”
If the team has no chance of improving into a true title contender and nothing to gain mentally by making it to the 2nd round, both outcomes are equivalent as far as I’m concerned.
~~MAC-ToWN~~ (Area Code 478 Westside Macon)
November 22nd, 2010
8:08 pm
lol put Pepsi in the game
cp
November 22nd, 2010
8:08 pm
LD should come out with a different lineup at the start of the 3rd. The one thing Woodrow used to do that annoyed me was sticking with what ain’t working.. Try something different. They are getting it handed to them anyway might as well go out trying something else
J from the A
November 22nd, 2010
8:09 pm
“For those of you who still think players don’t want to play in this city, it ain’t ever been about the city or the fans.”
You can’t be serious. The fans that are currently filling Phillips Arena are cheering more for the Celtics than they are for the Hawks. smdh. The Atlanta Hawks fans are damn bad fans. You must be delusional if you think otherwise.
Muppet
November 22nd, 2010
8:10 pm
I kind of like the jumbo lineup featuring Collins at center and Al at the 4 better against the Celtics when Shaq and KG are in. Al does a much better job against KG than Josh does, and Collins has a lot of weight to throw around against shaq, which could help in the post.
The Hawks offense is starting to pick up, but the defense right now is looking weak. You can’t give up 60+ points in the first half against the Celtics and expect to be in the game. Let’s get it going Hawks. Also, since Drew is trying to shake things up, maybe he should give Jordan Crawford some bigger minutes in the second half, because he really gives a nice spark off of the bench and plays with great confidence, regardless of the score.
GT Alum
November 22nd, 2010
8:12 pm
Hrm, hope these are just difficulties adjusting to a new system that the Hawks are going to shake off. Looks like they’ve regressed to some extent. They have consistently taken care of lesser competition so far, but they haven’t been able to get over the hump against any team that’s really good.
Drew
November 22nd, 2010
8:13 pm
J from the A,
I couldn’t agree more on the fans. It’s absolutely disgraceful to see what goes on in Philips Arena with the fans. The cheers are louder when the opponent’s score than when the Hawks score. It’s no wonder the Hawks are better on the road so far this season, it’s not like they get much encouragement at home. I think the only reason the arena is close to full tonight is because “fans” came in to watch the Celtics, not to watch the Hawks. There’s not a worse fan base in the entire league. Even the Nets last year had more fan support than the Hawks.
Samuel
November 22nd, 2010
8:14 pm
Doc,
From within or outside. It doesn’t matter. You guys just don’t understand that we just don’t have the talent to compete on an elite level consistently. Plenty of teams went “outside” and hired coaches but the results are pretty much the same. The teams that “upgraded” their talent are having better seasons. Check the standings.
It’s not about me being right or wrong,however, just like the bloggers here constantly littered the board with “Fire Woody” i’m definitely not gonna let yall forget where I stand. I think the Hawks did the man wrong and Karma is a Mutha.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 22nd, 2010
8:15 pm
“You can’t be serious. The fans that are currently filling Phillips Arena are cheering more for the Celtics than they are for the Hawks. smdh. The Atlanta Hawks fans are damn bad fans. You must be delusional if you think otherwise.”
Watch what happens if/when the Hawks bring in a real superstar.
Atlanta fans want title contenders and/or superstars. They filled up Turner Field in the ’90s when the Braves had a legit shot at a title, the Dome in the 2000s when they had Vick (and now that they again look like contenders), and they will fill up Philips if the Hawks ever get their act together and build a true title contender and/or acquire a true superstar.
Drew
November 22nd, 2010
8:15 pm
Correction on the above post:
I meant to say “opponents score” not “opponent’s score”.
Sautee
November 22nd, 2010
8:16 pm
Samuel,
In the last blog, you accused Teague of being “turnover prone”. His Assist to TO ratio is 2.58:1. That’s better than Brandon Jennings, John Wall, Devin Harris, and MANY others, and it’s the same as Steve Nash. It’s tied for 20th best in the league.
So my question is, do you think of Nash as “turnover prone”?
Najeh Davenpoop
November 22nd, 2010
8:16 pm
“You guys just don’t understand that we just don’t have the talent to compete on an elite level consistently. ”
This is true, but you don’t seem to understand that there’s a vast middle ground between “not being able to compete at an elite level consistently” and “suffering the worst 4-game sweep in NBA playoff history”. Just because Woody didn’t have the talent on the roster to win a title doesn’t mean that underachieving in the playoffs is excusable.
Atlanta Fawkers
November 22nd, 2010
8:19 pm
BRING BACK WOODY!!!
Samuel
November 22nd, 2010
8:19 pm
OK Wabe and Naj,
You don’t like either of those options. How about us as perennial lottery participants. Maybe you like that option better because we are moving more in that direction than winning any playoff series at this point.
Sautee
November 22nd, 2010
8:20 pm
Drew,
It’s only the “above” post if we hit “show all”, otherwise it’s the below post.
Damn wordpress.
cp
November 22nd, 2010
8:21 pm
How did the Hawks do Woodson wrong? The ASG prevented BK from firing him multiple times and even gave him a new contract… He probably should have been fired after his 3rd year but they kept him. Get over it because you’re sounding silly saying they did him wrong.
Rev in Tampa
November 22nd, 2010
8:22 pm
on a positive note, MC seems to have helped us with the blog format problem.
Samuel
November 22nd, 2010
8:22 pm
Why does Jerome keep quoting Lester Conner. The “so-called” defensive guru aint done “Jack Sh_t”. LOL!!
J from the A
November 22nd, 2010
8:24 pm
“Watch what happens if/when the Hawks bring in a real superstar.
Atlanta fans want title contenders and/or superstars. They filled up Turner Field in the ’90s when the Braves had a legit shot at a title, the Dome in the 2000s when they had Vick (and now that they again look like contenders), and they will fill up Philips if the Hawks ever get their act together and build a true title contender and/or acquire a true superstar.”
Translation = Atlanta fans are absolutely horrible. smh.
cp
November 22nd, 2010
8:26 pm
smh Marvin. man smdh
cp
November 22nd, 2010
8:28 pm
Does Marvin has some type of clause in his contract stating that he has to start no matter what
Najeh Davenpoop
November 22nd, 2010
8:28 pm
“You don’t like either of those options. How about us as perennial lottery participants. Maybe you like that option better because we are moving more in that direction than winning any playoff series at this point.”
“Perennial” lottery participants implies that the Hawks would go into the lottery and continually misfire on their lottery picks — since if they struck gold on their lottery picks, they would no longer be a lottery team. How about HITTING their lottery picks, instead of picking non-factors like Marvin and Shelden? How about parlaying the assets they currently have to acquire the superstar (Melo? CP3?) that will lift them into title contender status? How about using the $3 million they acquired by selling the 2nd round pick and the $3 million trade exception they acquired for Childress to get some much needed depth and toughness on this team — or, for that matter, to hire a coach whose main pluses deal with his ability rather than his price tag?
You continue to be under the impression that Woody leading the Hawks into second-round-sweep land is the best the Hawks can do. It’s not. With even a modest amount of inspiration and creativity, the people running this franchise could have used the firing of a fatally flawed coach as a starting point in remaking this team into a true contender. Instead, they spent the entire summer patting themselves on the back for firing Woody and trying to sell the fans on the clearly mistaken idea that Woody was the only thing wrong with this team and that the core would be fine.
Like I’ve been saying all summer, Woody wasn’t the only thing wrong with this team, just the biggest one.