The Atlanta Hawks got off to a hot start, despite Trae Young’s suffering a sprained MCL on Oct. 29. Young returned to the court to face the Charlotte Hornets on Dec. 18. However, his return coincided with Atlanta hitting a prolonged rough patch. The Hawks are 2-6 over their last eight games.
Three of those losses came in blowout fashion. Atlanta fell to the San Antonio Spurs, 98-126, on Dec. 19. It also lost to the Detroit Pistons by 27 points and the Los Angeles Clippers by 23. Two disturbing trends have surfaced during the Atlanta Hawks’ struggles over the last few weeks.
2 Troubling Trends For The Atlanta Hawks
Hawks’ Defense Takes A Tumble
Atlanta ranks 16th with a 114.6 defensive rating on the season. This almost matches its 114.8 mark from the 2024-25 campaign, despite the defensive improvements the team made this past summer.
When the Hawks went 7-2 from Nov. 8 to Nov. 23, they carried a 113.4 defensive rating. They held their opponents to 110 points or below in five of those nine contests. The dynamic defensive duo of Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker on the perimeter forces ball handlers into turnovers, igniting Atlanta’s fastbreak offense. The Hawks heavily rely on forcing turnovers for easy transition buckets because their half-court offense often goes through lulls, especially without Young on the floor. The four-time All-Star sat out the second night of a back-to-back against the Spurs, and his team only mustered 98 points and caused only 14 turnovers.
Over the last eight games, Atlanta owns a woeful 120.5 defensive rating. That number would rank 28th in the association, ahead of just the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz. Atlanta had a top-eight defense from opening night until Dec. 6. The Hawks must find a way to regain the defensive potential they showed earlier in the season.
Dyson Daniels Becomes An Offensive Liability On The Perimeter
As Young gets his legs back under him, the Hawks’ half-court offense will receive a much-needed boost, especially late in games; however, Daniels’ 3-point struggles lower Atlanta’s offensive ceiling. The 22-year-old guard enjoyed a career-best shooting season in 2024-25, and many thought this trend would continue. Unfortunately for the Hawks, Daniels’ perimeter shot has regressed through the first 29 games of the season.
Daniels is 7-of-51 from beyond the arc- a 13.7% mark. His 3-point volume and makes increased every year through his first three seasons. This trend jarringly reversed course, and teams now leave Daniels open from deep, daring him to shoot. The Hawks fell into this trap against the Spurs. Daniels shot 0-for-5 from downtown and looked uncomfortable taking them. San Antonio put Victor Wembanyama on the 2024-25 Most Improved Player, giving Daniels two options- either challenge the best shot blocker in the league or take unwanted 3-point shots. The result was not pretty, as Atlanta posted a 90.7 offensive rating in its worst loss of the campaign. Wembanyama took over the contest in just 21 minutes with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks, which both came on this possession.
WEMBY NOW HAS 100 STRAIGHT GAMES WITH A BLOCK
pic.twitter.com/B2PD2gFPfL
— WembyMuse (@Wemby_Muse) December 20, 2025
Daniels’ struggles also coincide with Zaccharie Risacher shooting just 31.3% from beyond the arc, compared to 35.5% in his rookie season. The spacing certainly takes a big hit when two perimeter players cannot hit threes. Risacher likely corrects his efficiency, similar to the second half of the last campaign. However, Daniels has shown little progress in reversing his 3-point shot course.
Featured Image: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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