Hawks player reviews

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The Hawks were in search of bench scoring all season, and when called upon, Cartier Martin provided the Hawks with a scoring threat from the wing. He played in 53 games with the Hawks this season over two stints with the team -- in between playing six games for the Bulls.

Martin provided the Hawks with another three-point threat off the bench as he shot 39.1 percent from deep on the season. He averaged 5.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 14.7 minutes per game and scored in double-figures in 12 of his Hawks appearances.

His minutes were constantly in flux with Coach Budenholzer searching for the right combinations and rotations throughout the season as injuries began piling up. When his name got called, Martin gave the Hawks an offensive boost and gave the bench unit much-needed floor spacing when Kyle Korver was getting rest.

Martin was terrific using off-ball screens, ranking first in the NBA with 1.33 points per possession in 45 opportunities and shot 56 percent from three-point range running off-ball screens. Most of Martin’s looks came as a spot-up shooter, where he shot a respectable 38.9 percent from three-point range and averaged 1.06 points per possession (101st in the NBA), per Synergy Sports.

He provided the Hawks with a solid scoring option off the bench who helped to space the floor, something crucial to success in Coach Bud’s offense. Like so many Hawks, Martin stayed ready and positive even when he was not playing much, knowing that at some point Coach Bud would call his name, and he made a solid impact in those opportunities.

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Season Review: Cartier Martin

Note:  We use stats per 36 minutes instead of stats per game on the graphics.  The reason behind that is stats per 36 tell a more complete story of how a player did while he was on the court, as opposed to per game stats which averages a player’s stats based on the number of games that player appeared in, regardless of how many minutes he played.  The per 36 minutes compares all players equally by taking the minutes played out of the equation to measure the most effective players during their time on the court.

John Jenkins' second season was marred by constant back issues from the start of the season, eventually ending in him having season-ending back surgery on Feb. 3. Jenkins’ back problems started in training camp and limited him to just 13 games played this season.Utah Jazz v Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks had high hopes coming into camp for Jenkins, as he was expected to provide another shooter off the bench for Coach Bud’s offense that places such a heavy emphasis on spacing and the three-point shot. His back problems clearly effected his shooting when he was able to get into game action, as he shot just 38.1 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from three-point range.

Jenkins’ best shooting game came against the Rockets on Nov. 27, when he had a season high 13 points and was 3-of-6 from the three-point line. As the back injury continued to be a problem, Jenkins struggled to get on the court, and when he did he struggled to be effective.

Jenkins hopes to rebound in the 2014-15 season, and at exit interviews Coach Bud said he was excited to see Jenkins participate in Summer League. Despite the disappointment of this past season, Jenkins, if he can stay healthy and on form, will have an opportunity to be a contributor with the way he seems to fit in Bud’s offense.

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Hawks Season In Review: John Jenkins

Perhaps no player on the Hawks took a bigger step forward this season than second-year man Mike Scott. After playing just 9.4 minutes per game in 40 games last season, Scott averaged 18.5 minutes per in his 80 games played this season. Scott averaged 9.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game for the season on 47.9 percent shooting (31% from three-point range), and took on a crucial role late in the season and in the playoffs.

Scott said on multiple occasions that his focus during the offseason was on improving his conditioning and expanding his range. He excelled in both areas as he got himself in terrific shape and became a legitimate three-point threat. After the Al Horford injury — and with the combination of injuries to the rest of the frontcourt — Scott got an opportunity to become a key role-player for the Hawks, and he took full advantage of those opportunities.

In 13 consecutive games from Jan. 8 – Feb. 5, Scott scored in double-digits. In that stretch, Scott averaged 14.3 points per game on 59.4 percent shooting (40.5% from three). Scott’s offensive production was crucial for the Hawks with Horford out, as they were in desperate need of a consistent scoring threat from the collection of bench bigs.

Scott’s best performance of the season came against the Knicks on Feb. 22 as he scored a career-high 30 points with eight rebounds to help the Hawks snap an eight-game losing streak. Scott was 6-for-7 from the three-point line in that game in an incredible shooting performance.

Scott went through a rough shooting stretch to close the season for the Hawks, making multiple three-pointers just once in the final 24 games of the season, but he remained confident and in Game 5 of the Hawks’ first round series, Scott lit the Pacers up for 17 points on 6-of-6 shooting (5-of-5 from three), all in the second quarter. The victory gave the Hawks a 3-2 series lead, and Scott was the biggest factor in that win.

On defense, Scott made strides with his movement and ability to stay in front of quicker perimeter players — again a focus of his during the last offseason. Per Synergy Sports, Scott was effective defensively in isolation situations, allowing just 0.76 points per possession on 33.9 percent shooting — good for 88th in the NBA. Scott still has opportunities to improve on defense by continuing to improve his footwork and strength in the paint, but he took strides in the right direction this season on that side of the ball as well.

Scott proved this season that he has the ability to produce at a high level offensively and can be a threat from the three-point range, mid-range, and in the post — where he improved a great deal this year shooting 53.8% on post-ups for 0.97 PPP, good for 27th in the NBA. He also showed that his best basketball is still ahead of him by continuing to improve all season, particularly in being tighter with the details of being a big man — like rotations, positioning, and rebounding.

Scott’s season was definitely one of the bright spots for the Hawks this season, as he took a big leap forward and showed that he has a bright future.

Hawks player reviews

Season Review: Cartier Martin

Hawks Season In Review: John Jenkins

Hawks Season In Review: Mike Scott