O.iatlhawksfan
Devoted Joel Embiid hater
The hustled harder than us simple as that
Amid the Atlanta Hawks' underwhelming season, starting center Clint Capela offered a candid assessment of what's behind the team's struggles.
"Obviously, we had a lot of guys hurt and had COVID, but even our approach the entire season, we were already thinking we were going to the playoffs," Capela told The Athletic's Chris Kirschner.
"Our approach wasn't about the next game. It was, 'Oh, we won this. We won that.' That's the problem with teams that are not used to this. I'm not so shocked."
Following a run to the conference finals last season, expectations were high for the Hawks entering the 2021-22 campaign. However, 56 games into the season, Atlanta hasn't quite lived up to its preseason hype with a 26-30 record thus far, good for 10th in a crowded Eastern Conference playoff picture.
The big man also cited a lack of defensive focus as one reason for the team's disappointing results. The Hawks currently own the league's 27th-ranked defensive rating at 113.2.
"I feel like the team we are, we're more offensive-minded. There aren't a lot of guys who take pride on defense, so it's hard," Capela said. "I'm mostly a defensive-minded guy, but it's a team thing. Your team has to be defensive-minded. It can't be just him or him or him. Everyone. So, it is what it is."
With 26 games still to play, Atlanta is currently in a neck-and-neck race with the Washington Wizards for the final spot in this season's play-in tournament.
I need this whole team to stop talking to the media. Every last one of these nikkas, John, Trae, Clint, always saying some bullshyt in public that don't need to be spoken. "There aren't a lot of guys who take pride on defense" may be true, but he dead wrong for sending shots like that outside the locker room
What do you mean? You gotta ride or die brehWe got one less Hawk fan
Gallo stay Gunning lol