Atlanta Hawks

Hawks need Kyle Korver to get back on track in order to make a deep playoff run

Published May. 13, 2015 5:23 a.m. ET

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It's tough to tell whether Atlanta Hawks wing Kyle Korver is simply struggling or if defenses are more locked in on stopping him than ever. Either way, if the Hawks can't find a way to spring Korver loose, their postseason could end a lot sooner than they'd like.

It's no secret that Korver is one of the best shooters in the game. His shooting splits were astounding this season -- 48.7 percent overall, 49.2 percent on 3-pointers, and 89.8 percent from the free-throw line. That kind of accuracy draws attention, and that attention in turn has resulted in a significant dip in Korver's numbers. He's shooting just 41.3 percent from the floor and 38.6 percent from deep in the postseason.

As long as teams have to respect Korver's shooting, the results are somewhat less important. But at some point, the Hawks are going to need the points that Korver is leaving on the board with his misses. As Connor Renfro of Soaring Down South writes, "If Korver can knock down the shots at a higher rate going forward, Jeff Teague will suddenly have lanes to drive through, Paul Millsap will have more opportunity to take Nene one-on-one in the post, and Al Horford will have an abundant supply of mid-ranged shooting room. Bradley Beal will be unable to help defensively, changing the interior defense of Washington dramatically."

It's imperative, then, that Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer keeps dipping into his bag of tricks in order to get Korver the type of looks he's used to knocking down. The Wizards will continue to make the Hawks' lives difficult, and pressing will just cause more problems. But if Korver can get back into rhythm, it'll be happy days in Atlanta once again.

(h/t Soaring Down South)

Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/USA Today Sports