Road to the 2017 Playoffs: Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta Hawks.
(Image from NBA.com)

Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap, center, celebrates with guard Dennis Schroder, left, of Germany, and forward Mike Muscala as time runs out in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
43-39, #5 in the East, second in the Southeast Division



Key transactions: 

The Atlanta Hawks dramatically reshaped their roster during the offseason, beginning with when Al Horford signed with conference rival the Boston Celtics, and they replaced him with Dwight Howard. While they essentially swapped one All-Star big man for another, the hope of the team was that Howard could rediscover his superstar potential after a miserable last season in Houston, and be the natural center Horford never really was. On paper, this should have been a more ideal pairing with perennially productive power forward Paul Millsap. 

What have the Wizards done right?

Image from NBA.com.

All of a sudden, I think the Wizards may have the best chance to upstage LeBron and upend the Cavaliers in the East. From a team that was up for discussion in the "Hey, which roster should get blown up this year?" conversation, Washington has zoomed up into the third seed in the conference and are just 2 wins shy of tying the Boston Celtics for 2nd spot. 

Just how good has Washington been? Well, look at this — they began the 2016-2017 season losing 8 of their first 10 assignments. They were on pace for a 16-win season. Where are they now? They are 15 games over .500, and they are looking down on more ballyhooed clubs like Toronto, Atlanta, and, ahem, Chicago. Don't even get me started on Derrick Rose's super team languishing at 13th spot. 

Jordan Clarkson is doing well representing the Philippines

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Los Angeles Lakers combo guard Jordan Clarkson may not have grown up in Manila or any of the 7,107 islands of the Philippines, but he is still reppin' the country well as the only player of Filipino descent currently active in the NBA. 

Ever since coming into the league in 2014 (he was drafted by Washington before being shipped to the Lakers for cash considerations), Clarkson has been a rising star, and, biases aside, I think he has been the Lakers' most reliable talent this season. 

He currently norms 14.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.3 triples per game for the Purple & Gold. He is second on the team in scoring right behind D'Angelo Russell.

Underrated and Underappreciated Underdog Duo of the Memphis Grizzlies

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It makes sense that two of the most underrated and underappreciated players in the league play for maybe the most perennially undervalued team. That's the case for Mike Conley, Jr., Marc Gasol, and the Memphis Grizzlies. As of this writing, the Grizz just lost to the San Antonio Spurs, 97-90, which is their second defeat in a row after rattling off four straight wins against the Bucks, Bulls, Hawks, and, ironically, the Spurs, too. Memphis is sitting pretty at #7 in the West, 5.5 games ahead of Denver. If they were in the East, the Grizzlies would be in the running for a top four seed. That's how good they are.

And that's because Conley and Gasol have been nothing short of stellar this season.

For starters, let's compare their numbers this season with their numbers from 2015-2016.