Why The Atlanta Hawks Do The Deal
The Atlanta Hawks are already in for a penny. Some might argue that they ought to go in for a pound.
Firstly, it’s worth noting that Pascal Siakam does do wonders for the Hawks’ defensive woes. He’s a versatile defensive wing who can cover for Young in a range of situations.
Furthermore, Siakam isn’t a sharpshooter, but he is an adequate one. In 2021-22, he shot 34.4% from long distance. He won’t enhance Atlanta’s spacing, but he won’t destroy it either.
Realistically, his shooting is less of an issue for Atlanta than it is for Toronto if they intend to build around Scottie Barnes. After all, Atlanta’s first option has strong shooting gravity.
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As long as Trae Young is running point, the Hawks have some open space to work with. By contrast, even if Barnes hits his ceiling, he projects as someone a team absolutely has to surround with spacing.
Furthermore, Siakam and Barnes both project as natural 4s. Granted, Siakam got significant spin at the 5 last season, with varying results. If the Raptors aren’t sure if that experiment is sustainable, does this trade do enough to help them out?
