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Atlanta Hawks

Trae Young isn't quite sure how long the fuller beard is going to stick around."Throughout the rehab stuff, I just let it grow out a little bit to see how it would play out," he said after practice Monday. "Who knows? When summertime comes around, I may cut it off. We'll see. I'll keep it for the Play-In, probably." 

The version of the Hawks that enters the Play-In Tournament Wednesday night against the Bulls in Chicago is a lot like that beard, skewing a little older, a little tougher, a bit more weathered on the fringes.

Injuries have taken a toll on the Hawks this season, and the younger rotation players like Jalen Johnson, Saddiq Bey, and Onyeka Okongwu won't be available for the Play-In. Instead, the Hawks will count on the veterans: Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Dejounte Murray, De'Andre Hunter, Wesley Matthews, plus Trae and his beard. And they will count on them for a lot.

For his part, Trae is ready after returning from a hand injury and getting three games under his belt.&nbsp;

"I feel a lot better. These last couple of games, and that last game playing a lot more – even between certain games – I've been getting conditioning in. I'm just trying to make sure I can play at least close to my minutes that I would play in the regular season."

Clint Capela sits on the opposite side of the spectrum from Trae. The Hawks rested Capela for the final game of the regular season after a March and an April in which he revitalized both his season and the team's season."I'm feeling great, and I'm ready to go," Capela said. "I know that we've been in this situation a lot with this team, and we know what type of intensity this game is going to be."&nbsp;

Capela has a role of singular importance to the Hawks in this Play-In Tournament. The loss of Bey, Johnson and Okongwu means that the Hawks just don't have the size at forward that they are used to having. But even more than that, Capela had a mid-season renaissance that really lifted the ceiling of this Hawks team.

As evidence, consider the way the Hawks have played defense with Capela on the floor since the All-Star break. The best way to measure how a team defends is to track how many points they yield per 100 possessions. Of the 30 NBA teams, the Minnesota Timberwolves had the best mark at 108.4 points scored against them per 100 possessions. The Hawks ranked 27th overall for the season at 118.4, not that far from the Utah Jazz at the 30th spot with 119.6.

However, since the All-Star break, the Hawks have given up 110.2 points per 100 possessions&nbsp;with Capela on the floor. Part of it is Capela moving better as the season wore on, part of it is that he has settled into Quin Snyder's defensive scheme as that same scheme evolved to showcase him, and yet another part is that the other Hawks defenders have lifted their play around him.

But make no mistake about it: Capela has been the centerpiece. The Hawks outscored opponents by&nbsp;+6.0 points per 100 possessions with Capela on the floor after the All-Star break. The next best mark was Bogdan Bogdanovic at&nbsp;+2.2 per 100. Teams cannot get high quality shots near the rim&nbsp;when he is around.

Wednesday, the Hawks defense will start with Capela on Nikola Vucevic in the middle, Hunter on DeMar DeRozan, and other Hawks veterans matched up around the floor. If they win, they will advance to play the loser of the&nbsp;76ers/Heat Play-In game, and the winner of that game advances to play Boston in a first-round, best-of-7 playoff series.&nbsp;

It’s the best time of the basketball season, and the Hawks need their veterans to lead them to two wins for a chance to keep participating in it.

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Bearded Determination: Trae Young and Capela Lead Hawks in Playoff Charge

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Dejounte Murray scores 32 PTS in Hawks 157-115 loss to Pacers

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Dejounte Murray scores 32 PTS in Hawks loss to Pacers

Trae Young finishes with 19 PTS and 7 AST in Hawks 109-106 loss in Minnesota

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Trae Young finishes with 19 PTS and 7 AST in Hawks loss in Minnesota

Trae Young returns and drops 14 PTS and 11 AST in Hawks 115-114 loss to Hornets

trae-young-returns-and-drops-14-pts-and-11-ast-in-hawks-loss-to-hornets

Trae Young returns and drops 14 PTS and 11 AST in Hawks loss to Hornets

Jalen Johnson tallies 28 PTS, 14 REB, and 11 AST to score his first career triple-double in Hawks 121-113 Win vs. Pistons

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Jalen Johnson tallies first career triple-double in Hawks Win vs. Pistons

Dejounte Murray hits game-winner on a nigh where he drops career-high 44 PTS in Hawks Win vs. Celtics

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Dejounte Murray hits game-winner on a career-high night in Hawks Win vs. Celtics

De'Andre Hunter drops 24 PTS, including a 3-point dagger in Hawks comeback Win vs. Celtics