Maybe Hawks Over. When you focus on running and spreading the floor, jacking up 3s, your defense tends to suffer. Bobcats should be improved offensively this year too.
The
Atlanta Hawks ranked fifth in the NBA last season in 3-pointers attempted (1901), averaging 23.2 per game. Look for that to be an even bigger part of the Hawks' offensive philosophy this season.
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"The Hawks are going to run and spread the floor," Chris Vivlamore of the
Atlanta Journal Constitution wrote on Sunday, adding "Coach Mike Budenholzer has preached movement, both ball and people, during camp."
That much was obvious during the preseason opener against Miami, even in a losing effort and even without the services of two of their top 3-point threats --
Louis Williams (recovering from ACL surgery to his right knee) and
John Jenkins (back spasms). Atlanta finished the game making only 4-23 shots, with newcomers
Pero Antic (1-6 from 3-point range) and
DeMarre Carroll (0-3) both showing a willingness to shoot the long ball.
Paul Millsap and rookie point guard
Dennis Schroder each missed their only shot attempt from behind the arc.
The point is, expect the 3-ball to continue to fly in Atlanta, with that being a continued emphasis this season and with most players on the roster capable of stepping out and hitting the trifecta. “That is how we are going to play,”
Kyle Korver told the newspaper. “Pretty much everyone that we put out there can at least shoot a corner 3. You’ll see Paul (Millsap) and Al (Horford) sliding out there instead of settling for that 17-footer. We are encouraging them to step back for the corner 3. It’s what we do in practice. Everyone is shooting corner 3s. There is no having spacing, giving Jeff and Dennis room to drive the paint. There are shooters all around. This is what we are going to do.”</offer>
