National Basketball Association

Spurs Chemistry Should Still Inspire The Atlanta Hawks

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The San Antonio Spurs has been the standard the Hawks have been attempting to achieve. Can the Spurs on-the-floor chemistry finally make their way full-time to Atlanta?

The San Antonio Spurs are the base model for the Atlanta Hawks. Head coach Mike Budenholzer served as an assistant to the Spurs for 17 years while collecting four titles there. After the 2013 NBA Finals loss to the Miami Heat, Budenholzer took his talents east, becoming the head coach for the Atlanta Hawks. There, Budenholzer has implemented his Spurs gospel; installing the same team-first, perimeter-oriented and defensive minded approach the Spurs have utilized for years. But on Tuesday night against the Golden State Warriors, the Spurs, who are the masters of the scheme, completely outsmarted and classed the Warriors. This, even with the addition of former Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant.

But while the Spurs thrived with their chemistry obviously intact, the same chemistry the Spurs showed proved futile for the Warriors. Two 30 point scorers mixed in with a 20/15 a game scorers will be a difficult task for head coach Steve Kerr. For coach Budenholzer, making sure the Hawks are in-sync is important, too. The addition of Dwight Howard has many thinking he could potentially be a cog in their system. If Budenholzer continues to implement the Spurs way, the chemistry the team displayed two years ago could return tenfold. But ultimately, it’s up to the Hawks on the floor and how well they want to work together.

Since the Hawks have a traditional big man inside, what are some ways they can work around that? For starters, they must realize he isn’t Al Horford. Howard has shown the world he’s attempting to evolve his offensive game. But, that’s still a work in progress and nothing for certain. The Hawks are used to Horford living on the perimeter stretching the floor as a rare stretch five. For Howard and the Hawks, that will be their biggest on-the-floor challenge. The question that begs, is whether or not the Hawks can quickly gel with that shift in the team’s offensive dynamics.

The Spurs on Tuesday night showed us chemistry trumps talent, when talent has figured it out yet. For the Hawks, they have shown great strides this preseason, but tonight as they play the Wizards, the real thing begins. Hopefully, we shall see the Spurs way fully implemented.