John E.
Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports The NBA regular season is a marathon, not a sprint.
While it is perfectly natural for fans to overreact at times, it is important to maintain the bigger picture.
After reloading the roster this past summer, everyone expected the Atlanta Hawks to have some growing pains.
Through seven games, the Hawks have a record of 4-3.
That is a tiny sample size, and we should know a lot more by the end of November.
However, evaluation is always integral to growth.
Below are our grades for October.
The Hawks had the second-highest offensive rating (115.4) in the NBA last year.
Over the offseason, Atlanta's front office sacrificed outside shooting for playmaking and defense.
Through seven games, the team ranks 9th in offensive rating (114.2).
Unfortunately, there are more concerning trends.
The Hawks have one of the worst shot diets in the league.
They rank last in three-point attempts per game (28.6) but lead in two-point attempts per game (62.9).
To make matters worse, the Hawks are bottom-three in free-throw attempts per game (21.6).
Head coach Nate McMillan has pleaded with his team to stop settling on offense.
Hopefully, his message resonates with the locker room.
The Hawks are 25th in defensive rating (115.4).
Last year, they finished the regular season 26th in defensive rating (113.7).
So, the early returns are not promising.
The Hawks still struggle to stop fast breaks, which was evident in last night's lopsided loss to the Toronto Raptors.
Assistant coach Mike Longabardi was hired to serve as the defensive coordinator.
Unfortunately, the early returns are not promising.
For better or worse, often blame lands on the coaching staff.
Fans can blame the coaches or players, but either way, the Hawks are not executing on either end of the floor.
Even worse, the inconsistent play remains chronic to the Hawks' culture.
Recommended For You Five Scariest Moments in Hawks History Revisiting the Mike Budenholzer Coaching Tree Oral History: Kobe Bryant's Last Game in Atlanta Pat Benson covers the Atlanta Hawks for Sports Illustrated's All Hawks.
He has covered the NBA for several years and is the author of "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)". source