The future is bright for the Atlanta Hawks but that does not mean their present does not look great. Coach Quin Snyder just led this team to a 107-106 NBA Playoffs win over the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden. CJ McCollum pulled some heroics which were unseen since his Portland Trail Blazers and the 14-point lead built by Jalen Brunson’s squad disappeared. Now that they won their first postseason game, what are the expectations for the squad?
Snyder gets real on Hawks’ NBA Playoffs expectations after beating Knicks
Despite clinching their division and winning over a stacked Knicks squad in the NBA Playoffs, the Hawks are a very young team. In fact, Coach Quin Snyder is coaching the 14th-youngest team in the league because his players have an average age of 26 years old. When factoring in the players that the Hawks field on the court and use the most, this average drops lower to 25.5 years old.
With the exception of CJ McCollum, Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Dyson Daniels are just entering their primes but made huge strides in the NBA Playoffs already. So, Coach Snyder did not pressure them too much in spite of the win over the Knicks. He just expects his guys to ball out, via Ian O’Connor of The Athletic.
“Happy to be here, grateful to be here. But at the same time. I just don’t want to put a ceiling on this group. We are young and it’s the first time our core guys have been in this situation. … I think it’s also true that you can embrace the opportunity to have success in the playoffs as well,” the Hawks head coach said.
Despite their age, the Hawks have been doing phenomenal to keep up with all the contenders in the NBA Playoffs. They score the sixth-most points per game with a nightly average of 118.5 points while also recording a 116.1 offensive rating. Defensively, Coach Snyder has been doing wonders for the Hawks. His squad has the ninth-best defensive rating and it is valued at 113.7.
A lot is in store for the Hawks but they found a great leader in Coach Snyder which allows them to grow while also battering down a heavy-hitter like the Knicks.