Atlanta Hawks: J.J.: ‘We all are jump shooters. That’s pretty much what it is.’
J.J. may have gotten to the crux of the matter when asked today if the way for the Hawks to get their offense back on track is to attack the basket.
“Maybe,” he said. “But you look at a jump-shooting team–we are a jump-shooting team. If shots are falling then, great, we are rolling. But one through five, we all are jump shooters. That’s pretty much what it is. Like I said, if we are making shots then we are probably unstoppable. But when we are not making shots those are the games we have to grind out.”
With the notable exceptions of the recent games against Portland and Chicago, the Hawks haven’t been able to “grind out” against better opponents. They remain, essentially, a group that wins by outscoring opponents, and one that generally must do so by making a high percentage of their long jump shots.
They still do so at an above-average rate for the season but not well enough to counteract their lack of scoring on free throws, their below-average 3-point shooting and their conversion of 2.4 full less baskets at the rim per game than the average NBA team. Atlanta’s effective field-goal percentage has nearly dipped to the league average.
Go figure: The Hawks now have a below-average NBA offense and an above-average defense. The Hawks had a much more efficient offense last season because they were much better at offensive rebounding and taking care of the ball.
I figured all along Atlanta wouldn’t be as efficient scoring this season, with a potential trade off that they wouldn’t be as predictable to defend in the playoffs. I didn’t know the offense would end up falling off this much. And now they are predictable in another way. It used to be that the ball stayed on one side of the floor as Joe did his thing so the defense had it easy. Now the proper plan vs. the Hawks is to induce them into taking long jump shots, collect the rebounds and beat them in transition as they scramble.
Back to J.J.’s point: Since the Hawks are clearly best at regularly creating open jump shots (no small thing in the NBA) and making them, why shouldn’t they just keep jacking jumpers until they fall and try to grind when they don’t? Their rate of making them is going to fluctuate but at least we know they can do it. Eventually. I mean, right?
What are the other options with this roster? They have no post game to speak of, unless L.D. can suddenly convince Smoove that he’s better off in the paint (unlikely since both men see this as a viable option). Joe, Jamal and Al can attack off the dribble but Joe isn’t making his floater now, Jamal’s iso game seems stymied by the offense and Al is more pick-and-pop than pick-and-roll or drives.
The Hawks can try to run more but that means defending, rebounding and/or forcing turnovers (which the Hawks do at a below-average rate). Running also means more turnovers, unless Kirk Hinrich (who is off to a high-turnover start with Atlanta) can organize the break.
And, anyway, the design of L.D.’s offense, at least as recently executed, seems to lend itself to creating open jump shots. Notice that when he talked about a Plan B yesterday, it involved feigning jump shots and driving to the basket past closing defenders. In other words, the main impetus is getting an open jumper and then using that threat to create a better shot, not getting that better shot through the execution of the offense in the first place.
What happened to all the post-ups and cuts we saw in the preseason and early in the year? Dare I say more Iso-Joe and Iso-Jamal going at the basket is a better plan than swinging the ball around only to jack up long jump shots anyway?
“I just think we have to continue to know where we are trying to get to and know who we are trying to get to score that play, whatever it is,” Jamal said. “If we point the ball in a certain direction I think we will be more efficient offensively.”
“We have to be more aggressive going to the basket,” Al said. “I think we can get baited into taking a lot of jump shots. Even though we are good jump shooters, at the end of the day you have to have a balance. We have to be able to do both to be successful.”
If he’s right about that but the Hawks just can’t do it because, as J.J says, the are a jump-shooting team at heart, then they are capable of looking really good in the playoffs because those shots are falling or really bad because they are not. Taking into account the nature of the playoffs, Atlanta’s poor ability to stick to a plan, and the fragile psyche as exposed by Orlando last spring, do you think the jump-shooting Hawks can carry the day as an underdog in a seven-game series?
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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376 comments Add your comment
MsDee
March 9th, 2011
4:44 pm
I have another question for yall Hawks fans. WHAT WOULD U DO IF U WERE THE GM? Here is your question. Would u move Josh Smith if you KNEW u could land a penetrating PG who knows how to draw fouls and make ‘and 1s’ and get a decent Center who only rebounds well and who could clog the lane OR would you keep Josh Smith if u KNEW it could land u Dwight Howard in 2013?
mykhalc
March 9th, 2011
4:44 pm
Joe just said, to para-phrase…’we don’t do what it takes to win. we win if we’re on’!!???? thanks Robin…what a great leader you ‘would’ make!!!
drmaryb (*_*)
March 9th, 2011
4:49 pm
* consistant
____________
*** CONSISTENT! Ok, if this guy doesn’t stop using this misspelled word, I’m afraid I might start miss-spelling it too. Please get a pictionary? LOL!
ag
March 9th, 2011
4:50 pm
Last night the better team won. That happens a lot in the NBA and in other sports as well. Sometimes a team that is not as good wins, but usually they have a good coach or a good game plan. Good teams lose more than they should with a bad coach
ToeKnee
March 9th, 2011
4:52 pm
nope.
BirdDirty
March 9th, 2011
4:53 pm
Larry Drew can’t control this team. They do not respect him or care what he says. These players need a coach like Jerry Sloan. I get tired of Josh shooting jump shots and Joe being a wuss!!! Marvin Williams needs a heart transplant. These players need a kick in the @$$. In addition, the front office does not know how to evaluate talent either. Dejuan Blair and Toney Douglass would look good in a Hawks uniform right about now. This team from top to bottom is awful!!!!!
ag
March 9th, 2011
4:55 pm
Again, for this post and for all radio shows, Josh HAS to be coached up. During the 4th quarter, Kobe was checking him. When Josh missed the two hand dunk, Kobe clearly hit all forearm, but no call. Josh never posted again (after faking Gasol, and getting his arm whacked by Kobe). The coach or point guard seeing the mismatch should have immediatly have Josh go down low – instead of having Josh shoot a 3 pt shot or him trying to go around Kobe.
drmaryb (*_*)
March 9th, 2011
4:55 pm
“OR would you keep Josh Smith if u KNEW it could land u Dwight Howard in 2013?”
_________________________
That one, right there. (*_*). What’s up Ms. “Beautiful” Dee?
slimjr
March 9th, 2011
4:56 pm
“0-1 Spurs 0-2 Mavs 0-2 Lakers 0-2 Thunder 0-1 Nuggets 0-2 Hornets 0-2 Suns 0-1 Rockets
2-0 Jazz 2-0 Grizz 1-0 Portland
5-13 Against .500 West teams
Man if we were a West Coast team we’d be eaten alive.”
Sund your team is GARBAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
KICK ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
* Link
* Report this comment
tony
March 9th, 2011
4:57 pm
“That doesn’t bother me, and I hope it doesn’t bother anyone in this locker room,” Johnson said. “It’s about us in this locker room. We could care less if [fans] showed up.”
slimjr
March 9th, 2011
4:58 pm
Its too late to coach up Josh..He is set in his ways from youth..Never learned the fundamentals at an early age.. He is already wired and thinks hes much better than he really is…………….Yawn..
Josh for Andre dollar……….smile..
JeJe
March 9th, 2011
4:59 pm
slimjr, good post (I saw it earlier too)
1-1 vs Utah, not 2-0
slimjr
March 9th, 2011
4:59 pm
ISO JOE= ALFRED………………………
Rufus1
March 9th, 2011
5:00 pm
Sautee
I love Al and thinks he is a very good PF playing center but would we be a better rebounding team with ZaZa/Hilton and AL in the game. I JUST WANT TO BE BETTER!!!
Zaza is one of the few players on the team who gets to the line. He is physical, FOULS HARD, GOOD OFFENSE REBOUNDER and doesn’t take many jumpshots…Taking a jumpshooter out of the offense, will decrease jumpshots.
Marvin and Damien coming off the bench offers the Hawks, better offensive and defensive versatility.
This is a small change, that may pay big dividends in the playoffs.
slimjr
March 9th, 2011
5:02 pm
@JeJe.
Thanks for correction Sir.. Also Iam which ya on Damien take……Northcyde must be Marvins’s bro?? LOL
Marvin for an ICE COLD ONE!!! LOL
MannyT
March 9th, 2011
5:03 pm
Ms. Dee
If it was a guarantee to get Dwight Howard, I’d make you the only female player in the NBA…and no, I don’t care if you even showed up for practice, just get me the big man!
Michael Cunningham
March 9th, 2011
5:04 pm
@Najeh: “Dare I say more Iso-Joe and Iso-Jamal going at the basket is a better plan than swinging the ball around only to jack up long jump shots anyway?”
“This one is easy: no. Ateast when the Hawks run the offense and end up with a jumper, more often than not it is an uncontested jumper in rhythm. When the Hawks run iso, the result is a contested jumper. Give me uncontested and in rhythm over contested and out of rhythm any day.”
well, i said iso “going at the basket.” Joe can get to the paint with his floater or post-ups. Jamal can do it with his crossover. but if you say it’s asking too much for either guy to do these things consistently then, well, yeah i feel you.
Sautee
March 9th, 2011
5:04 pm
MsDee,
I’d LOVE to trade Joe to anyone who will take on his contract. NJ wouldn’t have much to give back, so it would likely take a third team to make it happen. NJ will NOT be giving up Lopez though, that’s a given.
And as much as many of us are down on Joe…. if NJ DID acquire him, they would have the best backcourt in the league.
WeNeedTree
March 9th, 2011
5:05 pm
The Hawks are leaderless….like our country…
Michael Cunningham
March 9th, 2011
5:05 pm
@ Marcus: “Jamaal is a FA, so either we give him an extension or he walks. His value in a trade (expiring contract) is gone since the trade deadline elapsed.:
he still can be used in a sign-and-trade this summer.
Michael Cunningham
March 9th, 2011
5:08 pm
@ Sautee: “MC, Will you please ask LD why we don’t run motion in crunch time? After all he said that the motion offense made “everyone on the court a threat to score”. That seems like the right thing to do when we need a bucket the most. It would put more pressure on the defense (particularly if we ran our cuts HARD) then an ISO would UNLESS Joe or Jamal are having a rare “in the zone” game. THEN do iso.”
i asked him that yesterday. his answer was in my last blog post, the quote beginning with “A combination of a lot of things.” basically said they need to run more and take guys off the dribble.
WeNeedTree
March 9th, 2011
5:09 pm
We need to hire Jerry Sloan…
drmaryb (*_*)
March 9th, 2011
5:09 pm
50 All Time Greatest!
“A Phil Jackson would have been able to work wonders with a team with 2 all-stars and JS/JC. Anyone remember the days of Jordan/Pippen/Ron Harper??? or Kobe/Shaq/Fisher???”
_____________________
This guy just named 4 of the 50 Greatest Players – Of The World, to ever play this game! Is he seriously comparing these 4 to anyone on The Hawks? Somebody, please wake me when he’s done shagging me. I was bored to sleep.
Michael Cunningham
March 9th, 2011
5:10 pm
@MistaGamer: “1.) If you actually pay attention, no one is telling Josh (ie the coach) to move. Or get where he’s supposed to be. That means he is standing where the offense dictates he’s supposed to stand.”
this basically seemed to be Bibby’s defense when L.D. got on him during games for passing to Josh on the perimeter.
Rufus1
March 9th, 2011
5:10 pm
MC
There will be no sign-and-trade as long as Jamal wants “Manu Money”
Michael Cunningham
March 9th, 2011
5:12 pm
@MsDee: “Would u move Josh Smith if you KNEW u could land a penetrating PG who knows how to draw fouls and make ‘and 1s’ and get a decent Center who only rebounds well and who could clog the lane OR would you keep Josh Smith if u KNEW it could land u Dwight Howard in 2013?”
that’s a fun hypothetical.
Rufus1
March 9th, 2011
5:13 pm
“this basically seemed to be Bibby’s defense when L.D. got on him during games for passing to Josh on the perimeter.”
LD is turning into a “Woody Clown” right before our eyes…
WeNeedTree
March 9th, 2011
5:13 pm
The highest paid player in the league…..
Michael Cunningham
March 9th, 2011
5:14 pm
@Rufus1: “MC There will be no sign-and-trade as long as Jamal wants “Manu Money””
maybe not but just saying it’s allowable (at least under the current CBA).
ag
March 9th, 2011
5:15 pm
Actually, great article MC. I have noticed the Hawks get a lot of wide open looks and some come in and out. Happened a lot. Except Al, most of the guys are struggling with their shots. The person who gets the most open looks is Marvin and Josh Powell and they just don’t convert them to points. Unlike Josh, Marvin does not have any type of back to the basket game because he just can’t elevate anymore. So unless we have a SF who will burn you for leaving him open, we will struggle. Josh can make the jumper, but when he misses, only ZaZa an Al are their to get offense rebounds. Marvin does not board well, so again, that is why Josh needs to stay in the paint. If he patterned his game like Barkley, focus on interior and occasionally shot from the outside. Josh can easily average 20ppg.
Rufus1
March 9th, 2011
5:15 pm
Ms Dee
I would take DWill and Tyson Chandler over Josh and D12
slimjr
March 9th, 2011
5:17 pm
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
interpretation, I don’t have the horses to execute my genius offense and on top of that the busters that have been bestowed upon me with my incredible laid back demeanor have shot their loads for the season..They are spent. We are just going through the motions…ISO Joe is pulling down about 200k a night..We have to make the fans think he and all of us are really worth that kind of cheese…..LOL The Blue Pills wont help these busters…………..
Playoffs??????????????/ REALLY?????????????????????????????????/.
Sautee
March 9th, 2011
5:17 pm
MC,
Thanks. I hadn’t gotten to that blog yet, as when I had time, the game had started and I went straight to the game thread. Then I forgot to go back, so thanks again.
Rufus1
March 9th, 2011
5:18 pm
“only ZaZa an Al are their to get offense rebounds”
Ag
That is another reason to start a real center.
SteveW
March 9th, 2011
5:19 pm
Sautee – NJ still has some 1st picks don’t they? They had 5 the next 2 years and I don’t think they used them all to get DeRon. But outside of Lopez, not much on that team. I hear you on that
mykhalc
March 9th, 2011
5:21 pm
@MC…this same confrontation happened last year when Woody got on Bibby about passin’ the ball to Josh. Bibby’s reply was ‘he was open. and if you don’t want him there change the play design’. this actually happened durin’ a game in which Woodson gave Bibby kudos for callin’ him out on the design of the play.
LD and Marvin…USELESS…PERIOD!!!
Double Zero Eight
March 9th, 2011
5:22 pm
They have been playing like the Atlanta Brick Masons
lately instead of the Atlanta Hawks..
slimjr
March 9th, 2011
5:22 pm
LD=Jim Mora, in way over his head………………….Trying to fit a round peg in a square hole..It does not work DUDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
mykhalc
March 9th, 2011
5:23 pm
Joe to the Nets…make it happen Dimitroff!!! (only real GM in ATL)
Double Zero Eight
March 9th, 2011
5:23 pm
Marvin is the opposite of priceless….he is “useless”.
mykhalc
March 9th, 2011
5:24 pm
and to think of it…it was probably LD’s play design last year!!!
slimjr
March 9th, 2011
5:25 pm
up next Chicago by 23!!!!!! OUCH……………………….
RealSquawk
March 9th, 2011
5:30 pm
Joe Johnson you should stick to keeping your mouth closed! If that wasn’t the most out of touch thing I have ever heard. Seriously a jump shooting team? What pure jump shooting team do you know that ever does anything in the playoffs?
What is a pur jump shooting team? please someone give me an example.
Westurd
March 9th, 2011
5:31 pm
I feel ashamed saying this, but I am starting to HATE all things hawks. Same dang problems, same dang sound bites, same dang lack of heart, same dang, same dang………I come out to support you guys and half the crowd is rooting for the other team. It continues to become harder and harder to stay interested in you guys. I love the Hawks and love basketball, butthese Hawks are pushing me closer and closer to divorcing them. DANG its so frustrating!
Alex
March 9th, 2011
5:31 pm
Sadly this exemplifies what is now the Hawks problem Stubborn underachieving and over-paid players. Josh is a slasher and certainly not a jump shooter unless he is just luckily hot. Pretty much the same for Marvin because he is a ghost in many ways most games even his outside shooting. The other players are good jump shooters though.
However, Sometimes the shots aren’t going to fall and the team as to have the maturity (like the coach is asking for) to adjust. Also, they should run of a inside-out game through Hordford and Joe who have good post-up games. But when your figurehead leader(j.j.) is spouting off this contrary mess these are the problems you have. This shows the true leader for sometime has the young, talented Horford. All others are expendable; it’s time.
Can anyone say Kevin Love for Josh ( if he doesn’t want to play to his slashing strengths and develop a post-up game. And package Joe and Marvin.
Blow it up…I’m out.
ag
March 9th, 2011
5:33 pm
At this stage of the game we should not be talking trades… the deadline is over. MC, I like Teague starting because it makes our bench much stronger. It also gives Teague an opportunity to get burn with the starters, therefore, we do not need his offense. Having Hinrich and Jamal… and keeping Jamal off point is good. You will still close with Hinrich, but let Teague start the games. Also, ZaZa is showing a little life, and honestly Damien is the only person who realizes he is not Reggie Miller, so most of his jumpers are within 15 feet of the basket.
Westurd
March 9th, 2011
5:34 pm
Also hate to say this, but we looked better without Josh last week….just saying.
Sautee
March 9th, 2011
5:34 pm
SteveW,
There ARE some players on the Nets I’d consider:
Anthony Morrow, Kris Humphries (who they like), Damien James, even Stephen Graham could be useful.
ag
March 9th, 2011
5:36 pm
Rufus1, when Josh is shooting J’s, only Al and ZaZa grab offensive rebounds (okay Joe had a nice one yesterday from a Josh air ball), but that is why Josh needs to play inside out.
drmaryb (*_*)
March 9th, 2011
5:38 pm
” I don’t think they used them all to get DeRon.But outside of Lopez, not much on that team.”
___________________
That’s a rolling start! (and better than what most have). See Hawks.