As we get approach the 2013 NBA Draft, we are reaching out to local experts to help us scout some of the players the Hawks may take in the first round.  We had Anson Whaley from SB Nation Pittsburgh help us scout Pittsburgh center Steven Adams.

What are his strengths? Weaknesses?

Other than his athleticism for his height, Adams has three main strengths as I see them – his rebounding, defense, and ability to run up and down the floor. He was able to step in for Pitt as the starting center right away and rebounded and defended well. He even posted a couple of double-digit rebound games in the non-conference portion of the Panthers’ schedule. While the competition wasn’t the most difficult, he still had some impressive performances considering he wasn’t very used to the American style of basketball. Adams also runs the court incredibly well and has the ability to get out quickly on fast breaks and beat defenders for some easy transition baskets.

The part of his game that needs the most work is his offense. Adams is very raw when it comes to the offensive end, and while he improved as the season went along, he still is without a consistent ‘go to’ move. Many times it was evident he was trying to think his way through what he wanted to do – it just hasn’t been fully natural to him yet. His hands and play around the basket could use work as well. Adams frustrated fans at times by trying to lay the ball in rather than dunk it while he was around the hoop. And to top it off, he is a poor free throw shooter and currently without much of a jump shot. His offense leaves quite a bit to be desired.

What did he add to his team in college? What do you think he’ll bring to an NBA team?

For Pitt, specifically, Adams gave the team a much-needed defensive presence inside. He rebounded well and averaged about two blocks a game while altering quite a few more. Adams clogged the lane and made guards think twice before coming inside. He won’t contribute much on offense right away in the NBA, and rebounding in the pros won’t be as easy as it was in college. But if nothing else, he should provide a solid presence in the paint from the time he steps on the court. And eventually, the rebounding and the offense will come.

What kind of style is he best suited for?

Adams is very athletic and in reasonably good shape, so a team that gets out and runs would be a good fit for him. Eventually he should adjust to the slower pace of a grind it out half-court set but he’s not there entirely right now. Adams is also a solid passer so an offense that thrives on ball movement would work as well.

What sets him apart from other draft prospects at his position?

At this stage, it’s his rare combination of height and agility. Adams is a very athletic player and while he isn’t as developed as many of the other players in the Draft, he has a world of potential. There just aren’t too many seven-footers that are as athletic as he is.

What NBA player would you compare him to?

I’ve been comparing him to the Spurs’ Tiago Splitter a lot. Splitter isn’t considered a star, but Adams has a long way just to catch up with him. He’s a big athletic center that has really come pretty far all things considered. I could see Adams developing into that type of player – athletic, high energy, and a very solid contributor. He’s not on Splitter’s level right now, but that’s the type of player I could envision him becoming.

What’s your favorite memory of him at Pittsburgh?

Probably seeing the growth he made by the end of the season when he started to come into his own. He rarely was dominant at Pitt, but by the time he played his last game in the NCAA Tournament against Wichita State, he had advanced significantly as a player. I remember watching him in the press area for both of Pitt’s preseason games against Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) and Hawaii-Hilo, and seeing him up close, he was extremely raw. He was playing against shorter Division II players and still fighting to make a big impact. But in the last game against the Shockers, he was one of the few players who did much of anything for Pitt with a double-double against, what we found out, was a good team. He’s still very undeveloped, but there’s no denying that he improved as the year went on.

Here’s what some of the national mock drafts are saying about Adams:

NBA.com Analysis: The Hawks clearly have a need at shooting guard, as Lou Williams still came off the bench even when he was healthy. Caldwell-Pope, the SEC player of the year, averaged 18.5 points and should be a very good 3-point shooter in the NBA. And I’m guessing that unlike Dwight Howard, he wouldn’t mind playing in Atlanta after starring at UGA. He’s also a solid defensive player, and really looks like a perfect fit for the Hawks.

ESPN.com Analysis: Right now, scouts feel Adams has the most upside of the young bigs left on the board. Adams has the NBA body and toughness, but he remains incredibly raw offensively.

YahooSports.com Analysis: The Hawks have needed a solid big man, well, pretty much forever. They also need a shooting guard, but finding a true center should be the top priority. Adams is going to be a bit of a project, but he’s 7’0” tall, athletic for his size and should thrive at running the floor. He’ll need to work hard to develop an inside game worthy of the NBA, but has enough upside that someone will grab him in the first round.

Photo courtesy of SBNation.com

We’re taking a look back at the season that was for each member of the Atlanta Hawks, as well as a sneak peek into what the future might hold.  Today it’s Mike Scott.

The season:  Mike Scott’s rookie season was full of ups and downs but ended with him making the Hawks’ playoff roster after a late season surge that saw him hit double figures in the final five regular season games in which he played more than two minutes.  There were certainly frustrations along the way, as he was shipped to Bakersfield twice to play in the D-League, though I ultimately think that helped him develop his skills and build his confidence.

I thought this was a very good first season for Scott.  He was in a rotation that gave him playing time that other second-round picks wouldn’t get, and he had a chance to prove himself at the end of the season.  He showed us that he has the ability to make mid-range jump shots and can fend for himself with the ball in the post.  He’s also a great locker room guy who loves to have fun.  His personality fit well with this team, and he’ll only get better as he becomes more comfortable in this league.

The future:  Scott has a non-guaranteed contract for next season, but there’s little doubt he’ll be invited to training camp, and I’d probably go as far as saying he’ll be in a Hawks uniform for the first game of the season.  We know he’ll be playing in summer league in Las Vegas, where he’ll further get a chance to develop and improve.  He has been working out back in Virginia in the few weeks since the season ended, and that’s probably where he’ll be spending the majority of his summer.

Scott certainly has some things to fine-tune in his game.  I’d like to see him develop more distinctive post moves, and he could work on his interior defense too.  The latter should come as he builds strength and gets more accustomed to the NBA style.  He already has a nice jump shot for a power forward, and I could see him developing into an Al Horford-like player in a year or two.  I’m excited to see him build on a successful rookie campaign.

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images

We’re taking a look back at the season that was for each member of the Atlanta Hawks, as well as a sneak peek into what the future might hold.  Today it’s Ivan Johnson.

The season:  Ivan Johnson built upon a solid rookie campaign in 2011-2012 with another fine outing this season off the bench.  He played in 69 of the team’s 82 regular season games, starting five, and played in all six playoff games against the Indiana Pacers.  His numbers were nearly identical to last season’s in almost every category you can think of, and I could see as the year went on that he was becoming more comfortable with the NBA’s style of play.  Is is a physical presence and was usually the first power forward off the bench, later becoming the first big man overall off the bench for the Hawks when Zaza Pachulia went down.

Johnson started the season primarily as a defensive presence and an occasional jump shooter.  As the season went on though, he became much more aggressive at getting to the rim and finishing.  His energy and often electrifying dunks sparked the Hawks throughout the season, and it was easy to see that he fed off the crowd’s enthusiasm.

The future:  Johnson is a restricted free agent this offseason and is an interesting case for Danny Ferry to consider.  He’s obviously a big body that brings tremendous energy off the bench, so much so that Larry Drew said he tries not to start Ivan even if others are hurt because of that energy he brings when the subs come in.  But he also has a reputation that he brought from overseas, and while he has worked hard to clean himself up, there are still moments when he will lose his composure during a game.

Johnson became a fan favorite in Atlanta this season because of his hard work on the court.  But as we know, there are a lot of options this offseason, and I can bet the Hawks will be looking to add depth at the forward and center positions.  Johnson still has a few flaws in his game (post moves, fouling too much) as any second-year player would, so the question to make or match an offer will be a question of patience.  I don’t see a scenario where both him and Pachulia are back.  The way I see it, Ferry will decide whether he wants a younger, more durable power forward or a veteran, crafty but oft-injured center.

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We’re taking a look back at the season that was for each member of the Atlanta Hawks, as well as a sneak peek into what the future might hold.  Today it’s Al Horford.

The season:  Al Horford had by far the best season of his six-year NBA career, averaging a double-double with 17.4 PPG and 10.2 RPG.  The two-time All-Star was actually left off the team this year despite the numbers, but a big reason for that was that he came on stronger in the second half of the season.  Horford’s elevated play, particularly in the second half, propelled the Hawks to their sixth straight playoff appearance in his sixth season with the team.

This had to be a gratifying season for Horford after a pectoral tear sidelined him after just 11 games in a lockout-shortened 2011-2012 campaign.  Horford put the team on his back at times and carried them through a barrage of injuries to reach the postseason.  He has developed a mid-range came, which makes him a bigger threat off the dribble, and he showed he can do damage in the pick-and-roll offense.  He shot 54 percent for the season, which aligns with his career average.  Simply put, it was a terrific year for the Hawks center.

The future:  Al Horford is one of only three players guaranteed to be back with the Hawks next season.  Horford has established himself as a face of the Hawks franchise and seems to want to play in Atlanta.  He has said that he will spend the offseason working out in the city and further improving his post game for next season.  Horford has entered the prime of his career and only seems to be getting better.  He’s also a positive locker room guy, which makes him a valuable asset for the Hawks.

Horford has also said that he’s excited to see what Danny Ferry’s plans are with the cap space and draft picks Atlanta has.  Horford is undersized for a center, and with most of the Hawks’ big men on the free agent market this summer, Ferry may look to bring in a true center, which could shift Horford to power forward, which I think would be better for him.  Not only does he have the mid-range game I talked about, but he runs the floor well and can defend the perimeter on rare occasions.  As a power forward, he would still be one of the quickest and most athletic at his position but wouldn’t have the pressure of guarding the other team’s biggest player every night.  We’ll see what happens in late June and July.

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We’re taking a look back at the season that was for each member of the Atlanta Hawks, as well as a sneak peek into what the future might hold.  Today it’s Dahntay Jones.

The season:  Dahntay Jones started his tenth NBA season in Dallas but was traded to Atlanta in a deadline deal that sent Anthony Morrow to the Lone Star State.  Morrow was a terrific shooter for the Hawks, but with veteran Kyle Korver and first-round pick John Jenkins already on the roster, first-year general manager Danny Ferry felt Morrow was the odd man out.  The Hawks, in the midst of another playoff push, needed a wing defender, and so the trade was made.  Jones brought a defensive presence on the perimeter that, with Josh Smith often guarding power forwards in Atlanta’s small lineup, only DeShawn Stevenson could match.  The problem was Stevenson couldn’t play every night due to ailing knee problems, so Jones was often called upon as that role defender, particularly on nights when Stevenson was medically ineligible.

Jones had a fine 28 games in a Hawks uniform.  He played right from the get-go after the trade and was a big part of Atlanta’s defense down the stretch as the Hawks won key games to put themselves in playoff position.  He averaged 1.4 steals per 48 minutes and grabbed 1.1 rebounds per game.  He also shot 39 percent from the field while in Atlanta, compared with just 35.7 percent earlier in the year with Dallas.

The future:  Jones, a 10-year NBA veteran, was likely just a rental player for Atlanta.  As with most smaller NBA trades, teams usually hunt down a player in a contract year that may help them win games that season who they can say goodbye to once the season is complete.

The good news for the Hawks is Jones comes cheap if they want to sign him.  He made just $2.9 million in 2012 and will probably sign for something close to that just to be with an NBA team.  He said he has interest in coming back to Atlanta, and if he did, it would likely be in a similar role to the one he had coming off the bench during the final third of the season.  The Hawks would get a good wing defender who has a veteran presence in the locker room at a cheap price if they want to grab him.  If not, he will get picked up somewhere, provided his demands aren’t too high.

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images

We’re taking a look back at the season that was for each member of the Atlanta Hawks, as well as a sneak peek into what the future might hold.  Today it’s Devin Harris.

The season:  Devin Harris came to Atlanta in a trade that sent Marvin Williams to Utah last offseason.  Harris, a 2009 All Star, immediately filled a void as a shooting guard and occasional backup point guard, averaging nearly 13 points and five assists in 58 games.  He started 34 of those games and was a speedy compliment to point guard Jeff Teague.  When the two of them were on the floor together, the Hawks were a difficult team to defend in the open court.  Harris in particular was nearly unstoppable.  When he had the ball in transition, it was almost like he pressed a turbo button to get to the rim, and it almost always resulted in a layup or free throws (or both).

The one thing that plagued Harris this season was the sore foot.  He missed several stretches of games while dealing with it, and he admitted there were games where he played through the pain.  Harris has played more than 71 games just twice in his nine-year career, so it’s not a huge surprise that he missed time, and the Hawks may have expected it with how many minutes they were giving him early in the season.  As he got healthy toward the end of the season, the Hawks became more dangerous.  He also started all six playoff games, averaging 11.3 PPG and 3.7 APG.

The Hawks were well over .500 in games Harris started and were below the .500 mark when he didn’t play.  Had he been healthy the entire season there’s no telling where the Hawks may have finished, but I’m sure it would have been higher than sixth in the Eastern Conference.

The future:  Harris will be entering his tenth NBA season next year.  As an unrestricted free agent, he may again choose to explore free agency.  At 6’3″ and 192 pounds, he’s a bit undersized for a two-guard and isn’t a true point guard, which makes gauging him difficult.  He signed for $8.5 million this season, which was a pay cut from 2011 and 2010.  Whether he wants to take another cut may end up being the decision that keeps him with the Hawks or not.

The other thing for Harris to consider is what role he wants to have.  Even when he was healthy, he played just over 24 minutes per game this season, which was his lowest total since 2005-2006.  With John Jenkins developing into a prospective shooting guard and the possibility of re-signing Jeff Teague for far less money than Harris, it would seem unlikely that Harris can get the money he’ll be after while staying in Atlanta.  I can see another team bringing him in and using him in a starting role, but I’m not sure if he fits that role in a Hawks uniform.  Time will tell.

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We’re taking a look back at the season that was for each member of the Atlanta Hawks, as well as a sneak peek into what the future might hold.  Today it’s Josh Smith.

The season:  Josh Smith was one of the most talked-about players not only in Atlanta, but all of the NBA this season.  For better or for worse, one thing you can’t argue is that J-Smoove had one of the best seasons of his career.

Smith’s three-point shooting and field goal percentages were both up from a year ago in his first season without Joe Johnson, and he had the second-highest scoring season of his career.  Smith was once again the subject of deadline trade rumors, but Hawks GM Danny Ferry decided he was too valuable to give up.  Smith was a staple of the Hawks’ offense and once again filled up the stat sheet to the tune of 17.5 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.8 BPG and 1.2 SPG.  Those numbers align with his career averages, and at times he carried Atlanta on his back when others were struggling.

In the playoffs, Smith didn’t back down either.  He averaged 17 points in six playoff games and had an efficiency rating of +16.33.  All in all, Josh Smith was a valuable asset to the Hawks this season.

The future:  Smith has openly said he feels he deserves a max contract.  As an unrestricted free agent this summer, there’s no doubt he’ll be out to get that.  The Atlanta native may return if Ferry offers him the money he’s looking for, but with the cap room the Hawks have, Ferry may decide to go in a different direction.  Smith will be one of the most attractive free agents on the market, so the tug-of-war will begin July 1.

Smith has spent all nine years of his career in Atlanta, and it would be sad to see him so somewhere else.  However, the NBA is a business, and sometimes it’s just time to move on.  Smith’s intentions are uncertain at this point, as are Ferry’s.  There are a lot of things to consider in deciding whether or not to bring Smith back, but if he does leave, Hawks fans should wish him well and thank him for everything he did over the past nine years.

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We’re taking a look back at the season that was for each member of the Atlanta Hawks, as well as a sneak peek into what the future might hold.  Today it’s Anthony Tolliver.

The season:  Anthony Tolliver came over from Minnesota last offseason and became a vital role player for the Hawks this year.  He played in all but 20 of the team’s games and started 11 of them.  He was also one of just three reserves Larry Drew used in an attempt to shorten the bench in the playoffs.

Each time Tolliver’s number was called this season, he delivered.  His length allowed him to guard the 2, 3 and 4 positions, and his range stretched defenses.  He also shot a career best 86 percent from the free throw line and hit 34 percent of his three-point attempts.  In the playoffs, Tolliver went 7-11 from downtown.

Tolliver is a guy who never takes a play off, never complains to his teammates coaches or the officials and is willing to play any role that is asked of him.

The future:  Tolliver said in his exit interview the day after the Hawks were eliminated that he enjoyed his time in Atlanta and that he appreciated Drew showing confidence in him during the playoffs.  He also said that he still feels like no one has seen everything he can do.  Other than 2009-2010, when he started 29 games for the Golden State Warriors and scored 12.3 points per game, he hasn’t had the minutes that he (or any NBA player) had hoped for.

Tolliver has bounced around a bit in his career but has always left a good impression wherever he has been.  As an unrestricted free agent this summer, I would imagine he would at least explore the idea of free agency with the hope of picking up a more expanded role somewhere.  If Danny Ferry does re-sign him, he’ll likely play a similar role as this year, coming off the bench for defense, energy and shooting.  Whether Ferry will do that depends a lot on the draft and free agency, as well as what Tolliver wants his role to be.  The one thing I do know though, is that having a guy like him on your team is never a bad thing.  He’s a positive player who works hard and has a variety of skills, and you can never have enough good attitudes in the locker room.

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We’re taking a look back at the season that was for each member of the Atlanta Hawks, as well as a sneak peek into what the future might hold.  Today it’s Jeff Teague.

The season:  Jeff Teague built upon a breakout 2011-2012 lockout-shortened season with another solid campaign in 2012-2013.  The Hawks floor general, who played all 66 regular season games last year, played 80 this season.  He missed just one games due to injury and did not play the final game as coach Larry Drew chose to rest the starters, but Teague once again proved he’s reliable.  In fewer minutes (barely) per game than a year ago, Teague’s points, assists, free throw percentage and three-point percentage all increased.

Perhaps Teague’s biggest achievement this season was his ability to create his own shot off the dribble.  Whether it was getting all the way to the rim or relying on his signature floating jump shot, Teague was asked to do more on the offensive end with Joe Johnson no longer an option.  He responded and helped lead the Hawks back to the playoffs without Johnson or forward Marvin Williams.

The free throw improvement was also drastic.  He shot just over 75 percent last year but bumped that number up to 88.1 percent this year, and that’s with 226 free throw attempts.

The future:  Teague’s downside right now is his size.  He’s only 6’2″ and 181 pounds, but he has indicated that he is working to get stronger.  Specifically, he tweeted just days after the playoff loss to the Indiana Pacers that he was on a bike ride with the goal of adding 10 pounds of muscle before next season.  If he gets stronger, he’ll only get better, particularly at finishing around the rim and bodying up bigger guards.  But the question is, will it be in a Hawks uniform.

Teague is a restricted free agent this summer, meaning other teams can make an offer, but the Hawks have the right to match it.  While he has certainly turned heads over the past two years, Teague isn’t at superstar status yet, so it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which a team would make an offer the Hawks don’t match.  Atlanta wants to keep the spark plug of their offense and can probably do so at a reasonable price, especially with the likelihood of other teams offering more very low.  The only scenario in which the Hawks may not match an offer is if they get an upgrade through a trade or free agency, and there simply aren’t that many upgrades available at point guard this offseason.

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At the end of the day, Indiana was simply too big.

The obvious mismatch in size was a problem the Atlanta Hawks knew they’d have to deal with going into their first-round series with the Indiana Pacers.  Looking back, it was exactly that which lost them the series.

The Pacers dominated the paint from the opening tip of Game 1 to the final buzzer of Game 6.  And while there were stretches in which the Hawks played solid defense, there were longer stretches in which the Pacers played their game – pound the ball inside and either get easy baskets against a smaller team or draw fouls.

Indiana out-rebounded Atlanta by 70 in the series, which is an average of just under 12 per game.  They also shot 172 free throws, never going to the line fewer than 21 times in any of the six games.  As the Pacers put it, it was “bully ball,” and they certainly bullied the short-handed and undersized Hawks.

All that said, the series didn’t go nearly as one-sided as it looked on paper, or as many experts believed it would.  When the Pacers went up 2-0, it appeared as though it was over.  Two double-digit wins against the seemingly punchless Hawks could have sealed the deal, but the Hawks fought back with two relatively easy wins in Atlanta.  All of a sudden it was a series again…until Indiana carried momentum from a Game 5 route back into Atlanta and held on for dear life as the Hawks furiously rallied in the fourth quarter of Game 6, only to fall short.

One thing Indiana did well in all four wins was dominate the start of the third quarter, which I thought really took the life out of Atlanta.  Indiana had leads of eight, nine, seven and seven at halftime of their four wins.  By the six-minute mark of the third quarter in all four games, the lead was stretched to 15.  The sign of a good team is one that can put its foot on the gas when ahead, and Indiana did that beautifully in Games 1, 2 5 and 6.

Another big factor was David West’s resurgence in Games 5 and 6.  West scored 24 and 21 points in Games 5 and 6 after averaging just over 10 through the first four games.  He said after Game 4 that he needed to be more of a factor in the series, and he took it upon himself to be more aggressive at getting to the rim in Games 5 and 6.  That was a big reason Indiana got over the hump.

I’ve talked a lot about the Pacers’ offense so far, but credit their defense as well.  They held Atlanta to 83 and 73 points in Games 5 and 6 after four pretty good offensive games from Atlanta in Games 1-4.  They did it primarily by forcing the Hawks into perimeter shots and taking away the fast break.  A lot of credit goes to Indiana for the adjustments they made after the two Hawks wins in Atlanta.

Who knows how the series would have gone if Zaza Pachulia, who grabbed 28 rebounds in two games against Indiana this season, were healthy.  Nevertheless, you have to consider this season a success for Atlanta when you take into account all of the injuries, expiring contracts and offseason moves.  We’ll see how this year’s offseason goes, but I expect the Hawks to be busy.

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