The Atlanta Hawks aren’t going to shut down Luka Doncic. Nobody really is right now.
Doncic is putting up 40.1 points per game while shooting 49.8% from the field, including 41.9% on 13.8 three-point attempts. He’s also adding 7.8 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.7 steals, a ridiculous scoring load paired with efficiency that has him sitting as the current front-runner for MVP.
Even in LA’s two losses, he still went off for 41 points in a 136-129 defeat to the Trail Blazers and 37 in a 112-95 loss to the Warriors. That’s not exactly the kind of production that makes a defense feel like it has solved anything.
Still, Atlanta has a few things going for it tonight, and there’s at least a path to making Doncic work harder than usual. The Hawks have some real options when it comes to throwing different looks at him, and they’ll need all of them.
One of the biggest reasons for optimism is that Atlanta actually has two defenders who have handled Doncic better than most. Dyson Daniels has been on him for 144 possessions over the last three seasons and has limited him to 20.9 points per 75 possessions on 60 TS%.
That doesn’t erase Doncic, but it does drag him below his usual level of scoring damage. Daniels’ size, strength and active hands give him a chance to bother a player who usually wins with handle and power.
Dort has been even better. Over 169 possessions in that same span, he’s held Doncic to 17.8 points on 68.5 TS%.
Again, that’s not a full stop, but it is a meaningful counter to Doncic’s physical game. Both defenders should see plenty of run, giving Atlanta a chance to switch up coverages while still keeping a proven body on Doncic.
The other opening for the Hawks is the turnover battle. Doncic has been loose with the ball this season, averaging 4.9 turnovers per game, and that’s where players like NAW, Kingston Flemings, CJ McCollum, and Aaron Wiggins can help.
Atlanta needs active hands, pressure, and a willingness to attack every loose dribble. And if they do force mistakes, they’ll have to turn those into something on the other end with a strong transition offense.
Doncic has also made some progress defensively this season. He’s posting a STOP% of 3.7%, which ranks in the 91st percentile among all SFs, and he’s helping on the defensive glass to get LA moving into its half-court offense quickly.
But he’s still the kind of player who can conserve energy by hiding on a weaker scorer, and that’s exactly what Atlanta can’t let happen. The fresher he stays, the more dangerous he becomes.
Daniels may also end up being one of the main players Doncic targets on the other end because of his lack of shooting. But Daniels brings his own value with passing and rebounding, and his willingness to hustle on the glass means Doncic would have to keep up with him for an entire game.
It’s still a tall order for Atlanta to keep Doncic under control. But with experienced defenders, quality perimeter bodies and some unique offensive pieces, the Hawks do have a real chance to make this a tougher night than most teams can manage.
In Other News...
Hawks Face A Luka Problem Before The Lakers Even Tip Off
Luka Doncics availability is already shaping the conversation around the Hawks next matchup, even before the Lakers arrive. Doncic sat out Sundays game against the Pistons with lower back tightness, and that has put a familiar layer of uncertainty on a team that can look entirely different depending on whether he is on the floor.
For Atlanta, the concern is obvious: if Doncic plays, the Hawks are dealing with one of the leagues most difficult offensive engines, but if he does not, the game changes shape quickly. The Lakers could also choose to be cautious with him on the second night of a back-to-back, leaving the Hawks to wait and see which version of the opponent they will actually have to solve. [Read more 🡒]
Dyson Daniels Is Giving Hawks Fans A Strong Rebuttal To Critics
The Hawks fourth straight win, a comeback over the Nets, offered another reminder of why Dyson Daniels has quickly become such an important part of this group. He finished with a near triple-double, piling up nine points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, six steals and a block, the kind of all-around line that shows how much he impacts a game even when the shot isnt the headline.
For a player who has drawn plenty of attention for his offense, the bigger story in Atlanta has been everything else he brings. Daniels defense and playmaking have helped stabilize the Hawks, and the teams numbers with him on the floor point to a player whose value goes well beyond scoring. The question now is whether that broader impact keeps forcing a rethink of the criticism around him. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Start Feels Real But One Concern Still Hasn't Gone Away
Atlantas recent surge has started to look more like something sustainable than a hot week, especially after the club won five of its last six games while navigating a difficult opening stretch. The Hawks have been leaning into a frontcourt-heavy identity, and the early returns have been encouraging enough to keep the broader picture upbeat, even if the offense and defense have not yet fully matched the level of the results.
Quin Snyder has already had to manage the tradeoff that comes with that kind of lineup construction, and the numbers have offered a reminder that progress can still come with rough edges. Atlantas start feels real, but the frontcourt questions have not disappeared, and the way Snyder balances development, spacing and consistency over the next few games will go a long way toward showing how high this version of the Hawks can climb. [Read more 🡒]