One NBA scout’s perspective on how the Hawks stack up against the Knicks

The Hawks and Knicks tip off in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs on Saturday. After the two teams played each other closely in two of their three matchups in the regular season, the series will likely be a competitive one.

ESPN analysts unanimously picked the Knicks to win the series, but the Hawks still have a path to advancing to the next round.

“I think they have multiple long defenders to throw at Jalen Brunson, which is going to be a big deal in that series, if they can limit him from going off for 30- and 40-point games and limit his free-throw attempts,” an NBA scout told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Dyson Daniels specifically guards him very well — and has historically.

“So, I think that’s going to be a great matchup for the Hawks to potentially come out (of the series), at least without giving up too many points to Brunson.”

Of the approximately 25 minutes Daniels defended Brunson, the Knicks guard shot 14.3% from 3, well below his 36.9% average this season. To counteract that, Brunson typically calls for a screen from one of his teammates to try and shake off Daniels’ defense.

Of course, the Hawks will need a balanced approach when it comes to the Knicks. The chemistry they’ve built over the last two months after the trade deadline could come into play.

“I think they have more chemistry than the Knicks do,” the scout said. “I believe the Knicks might be a greater collection of talent, but I think Atlanta has gotten more out of their team than the Knicks have this season.”

The Hawks will need that chemistry, especially when it comes to the team defense and their battle on the boards.

They don’t have as much size compared with the Knicks, especially with the challenge that Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson present. The Knicks could use lineups that include the two 7-footers together. So, the Hawks will look to double down on their collective rebounding efforts.

But, they’ll have to give their bigs as much help as possible to find a way to overcome that challenge.

“I think what you want to do, if you’re the Hawks, is not let (Towns) beat you,” the scout said. “So, obviously you can’t come off Brunson, but maybe it’s double on the catch every time (Towns) gets the ball inside the 3-point line.

“You know, you want to make sure that if you’re going to lose the series, it’s going to be because OG (Anunoby) and Miles (McBride) and Josh Hart make 10 3s combined each game, and you’ve kind of got to live and die with how they’re going to shoot. Because otherwise, (Towns) goes off for 45 and 20 rebounds and Mitchell Robinson adds five offensive rebounds off the bench, you’re going to be in trouble.

“Obviously, (the Hawks are) not as deep at the center position at all with (Kristaps) Porzingis gone. So maybe you play a little smaller, you stretch them out, especially in Mitchell Robinson’s minutes, and you force him to defend a little bit more on the perimeter or give up some open 3s.”

The Knicks ranked fourth in the league (one spot ahead of the Hawks) in 3-point shooting percentage, making 37.3% of their attempts per game.

Hart and McBride each made 41.3% of their shots from deep, on 3.7 and 6.6 3-point attempts per game, respectively. Anunoby also shot the ball well, making 38.6% of his 6.1 3-point attempts per game.

But the Knicks also have a couple of other effective, high-volume shooters in Landry Shamet (39.2%) and Mikal Bridges (37.1%).

On top of that, the Knicks have a ton of playoff experience, while several of the Hawks’ key contributors do not. The Hawks, though, have CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Gabe Vincent and Jonathan Kuminga, who all have experience with extended postseason runs.

“I think McCollum will be a steadying factor, because he’s just such a crafty vet,” the scout said. “He could bridge the gap a little bit when the scores are harder to come by. But I think just settling into the nerves of the playoffs a little bit will be a bigger factor, especially in the early games.”

Settling in quickly could play a huge role in the Hawks’ success. But seeing Jalen Johnson get his bearings quickly will give the Hawks a boost in establishing their presence.

“I think his biggest strength, over top of most power forwards in the league, is his ability to create and pass and make plays for others,” the scout said.

“And I think as he’s settling in, if he’s aggressive and looks one, to get to the rim and two, to kick out from there, he can make some good things happen as he figures out exactly how it’s going to be officiated, how it’s going to impact him, where his spots are going to be because the Knicks are going to throw, you know, like, three different defenders at him, the same way that the Hawks are going to send some guys at Brunson.”

But like every playoff series, the Hawks’ success will come down to their adjustments from game to game.