The Atlanta Hawks have been rewarded for their stellar play through the first half of the season as Al Horford, Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague have all been selected as All Stars by the Eastern Conference coaches.
The Hawks have three All Stars for the first time in 35 years.
Teague has improved his scoring average each season he's been in the league and is averaging career-highs in points, rebounds and two-point FG%. He's been the team's engine during a remarkable 38-8 start that has Atlanta 7 games in front of the field in the Eastern Conference. Teague will be an All-Star for the first time.
Millsap will make his second consecutive All-Star appearance in his second season as a Hawk. He's producing at nearly an identical clip as last season, averaging better than 17 points and 8 rebounds per contest while recording a career-high in assists. The Hawks are one of the most balanced teams in the league, but it's hard to argue Millsap hasn't been the most consistent bird. He's a stat stuffer, leading all East frontcourt players in steals at 1.7 per game while also blocking nearly one shot per contest.
Horford has been on a shooting tear in January, hitting at a 59% clip while taking roughly 12 shots per game. His efficiency has been amazing, and his pick-and-roll game with Teague is nearly unstoppable. His path to the All-Star Game is remarkable considering he missed all but 29 games of last season with a pectoral tear and took about a month of regular season action in 2014-15 to really get his groove back. It will be Horford's third All-Star appearance.
The common theme among these three is that all have improved defensively, which is something you have to believe the coaches value. That, and all three have bought into Coach Bud's system of pace, space and ball movement. The team success contributed to the Hawks having three All Stars, but all three of these guys are worthy.
Coach Bud and his staff earned the opportunity to coach the East All-Star team by virtue of having the best record in the conference. Dennis Schröder was named to the Rising Stars Challenge on Wednesday, with Hawks assistant Kenny Atkinson set to coach the World Team. Other Hawks may also be making appearances as more event lineups are announced.
Story by Jaryd Wilson