Hawks tweaking lineups, more shifts likely ahead

But the physicality that helped the Hawks take that first matchup did not come through one day later when they hosted the Heat. The Hawks simply could not outmuscle the Heat, allowing them to rip them apart in the half court.

The Heat seemingly lived at the rim, making 75% of their shots within four feet of the basket. The Hawks just couldn’t seem to get a stop.

One game later against the Nets on Sunday, the Hawks made a lineup change.

They opted to start the game with their best lineup statistically, moving veteran guard CJ McCollum to the starting unit and opting to have second-year forward Zaccharie Risacher come off the bench.

The Hawks have closed games with McCollum, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu, which has been one of the team’s more productive groupings.

Per clelaningtheglass.com, the Hawks have a plus-18.7 differential across 166 possessions with that lineup, versus a plus-3.1 differential with Risacher in the lineup. Following the Hawks’ win over the Nets, that number jumped to plus-26.5.

“Yeah, I’ve said this to you guys a number of different ways,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said Sunday. “It doesn’t matter who starts and who finishes and rotations. And I think all that’s true. In this case, that group of guys that finished the game, by far, their net rating is like 10 points above any other combinations. It’s our best lineup.

“So not starting CJ gives us ballhandling and some scoring punch off the bench, but we don’t get that lineup as much. So we talked about it. Had a chance to talk about it with Zacch because, obviously, he was the one that didn’t start. And I think the biggest thing, it doesn’t reflect in any way on our and my personal belief in Zacch.”

The Hawks also took a longer look at veteran guard Gabe Vincent, who they acquired in the deal that sent Luke Kennard to the Lakers. Vincent gave the Hawks another stable ballhandler, ranking in the 70th percentile in assist percentage in games played Sunday. Roughly 37.5% of the Hawks made shots off Vincent’s assists, and the 29-year-old guard made a key 3-point shot midway through the fourth.

“Gabe gave us some big minutes,” Snyder said. “The shot that he hit late was a really timely shot. It’s good to see that.”

But the Hawks likely will see another shift in the lineup with forward Jonathan Kuminga expected to make his Hawks debut sometime this week.

The Hawks should have another update on Kuminga in the next couple of days.

Up ahead

The Hawks neither made up nor lost ground last week, but they still seem far from making any significant jumps in the Eastern Conference standings. The Hawks sit four games behind the 76ers for sixth place and 3½ games behind the Magic and the Heat for a spot as the seventh or eighth seed.

They also have only a half-game lead on the Hornets for ninth place.

So the Hawks cannot afford any slippage.

Tuesday and Thursday vs. Wizards

The Hawks host the Wizards for a miniseries Tuesday and Thursday. Either game could mark the first time the Hawks see former guard Trae Young, who is out, since the trade in January.

It also will be the first time McCollum and Corey Kispert face off against their former team.

The Wizards (16-40) lost to the Hornets on Sunday and have prioritized developing their young players. They rank 29th in the NBA in offense and 28th in defense. They’ve also split their past four matchups.

Sunday vs. Trail Blazers

The Hawks lost their first meeting to the Trail Blazers last month. This will be the first time the Hawks will face them since trading former wing Vit Krejci to them earlier this month.

But the Hawks will look to have a better showing, who as a team struggled to knock shots down.

That was further compounded by the Hawks’ inability to crash the boards. The Trail Blazers torched them on the offensive boards, scoring 20 second-chance points.