So from a stylistic standpoint, what do you think we can expect from this Hawks group?

I think that this is going to be a defense that likely wears opponents down.

There's going to have to be a lot of energy expended trying to figure out how to counteract the different lineups that Quinn Snyder might be able to sort of throw out there, whether that's with Nikhil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, CJ McCollum, Jalen Johnson, and Anika Okongun, that starting five.

And then, you know, it's kind of... going to come at you when you add in Lou Dort and Aaron Wiggins and potentially Ryan Nembhard in the mix.

So they have a lot of different options that they can throw your way.

And that's not to mention, you know, what could potentially come with Kingston Flemings and Zuby Ejiofor, who they both drafted in the draft this past June.

So, yeah, Zuby Ejiofor is a monster, and I don't know how much playing time he'll get simply because he's a rookie.

Why do you think he struggled? Why do you think that lapse happened in the postseason compared to the regular season where he found so much success?

What does Atlanta's offense actually want to be? Is this going to be more of a committee approach where everybody has to create a little bit? Or is there somebody you expect to emerge as the clear offensive centerpiece?

Yeah, I mean, I think right now you're going to probably see a more by committee kind of ball handling duties between Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, TJ McCollum, Nikhil Alexander Walker, and Onyeka Kongu passing is one of his most underrated skills.

And so with that starting five, they were one of the more productive starting fives in the NBA in the second half of the season.

And so I think you're going to see the ball in a lot of those guys' hands.

It's not an isolation-heavy team.

The only person who really has those skills right now is CJ McCollum because he's crafted that over a 14-year career.

But they don't want to rely on that, as we saw how it didn't quite work out for them super well in the playoffs after those two wins over the Knicks in Games 2 and Game 3.

What do you think will be this team's identity next season for the Atlanta Hawks?

I don't need to see another one like that." But what do the Hawks [laughs] have to do differently tonight to get a different outcome?

Well, I think the biggest thing is that they've just gotta make sure they're rebounding the ball as much as they possibly can to win the possession battle.

I mean, that was the biggest thing last game, maybe the last two games, is just that the Knicks have been absolutely bullying them on the boards.

I mean, it's hard when you have Mitchell Robinson and Carl Anthony Towns on the other side.

But, um, you know, one of the big things that the Hawks had gotten better at over the course of the, the season, especially late, is making sure they're attacking the glass, and the Knicks have completely taken that away.

And then obviously it's limiting Jalen Brunson and, and Carl Anthony Towns as much as possible.

They can't have those stretches where either of those two guys are just absolutely going off.

Hmm