The time has come to countdown all 30 “death lineups” in the NBA. If you missed it, here is what constitutes a “death lineup.”
The first team on our countdown is the Atlanta Hawks. Really, outside of the weird signing of Vince Carter, this team should be renamed the Atlanta Eyas. An eyas is what you call baby hawks, and that is what this team is: young.
Speaking of young, this franchise now has a face. His name:
Trae Young.
Let’s just say Young is really good at shooting a lot. Coaches never threw him out there to get a stop. He truly is a baby hawk, young and small. His shot-making ability will not be enough to move the needle for this lineup.
The Projected Starting Lineup
PG: Trae Young
SG: Kent Bazemore
SF: Taurean Prince
PF: John Collins
C: Dewayne Dedmon
This is the starting lineup in the more traditional sense. Each player is playing their true position but today’s NBA is position-less. So to be able to not draft in the top three again next year, they will need a lineup that can hang in this league.
The Death Lineup
PG: Trae Young (only for his playmaking and shot making)
SG: Jeremy Lin
SF: Kent Bazemore
PF: Taurean Prince
C: Omari Spellman
The frontcourt duo for this lineup is super exciting. Spellman can spread the floor, rebound, and is just a winner. His ability to switch and guard smaller guys and to shoot beyond the arc makes him a perfect death lineup five.
The Hawks are certainly excited about the future of John Collins, but his inability to protect the rim and his inability to knock down jump shots outside of the paint leaves him out of this lineup.
Prince is the perfect death lineup four with his size and athleticism combination. He can spread the floor and will be able to defend anyone he switches on.
Bazemore may not even be a Hawk when the season starts, but he is the prototypical ‘3-and-D’ guy. He offers experience as a relative veteran and the ideal game for a death lineup wing.
This backcourt is why the Hawks rank last on this list. It is defensively atrocious. Young should be a raptor instead of a hawk because he has no wingspan at all. Jeremy Lin has been average at best outside of his Linsanity days, and those days were all about how he was scoring.
This backcourt will get absolutely shredded on the defensive end. There are not enough offensive threats on this team for opposing teams to leave Trae Young opportunities to score. The Atlanta Hawks can look forward to another year in the top three of the lottery.
