Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce, a long-time NBA assistant, has done a fine job during his first season in the Big Chair. It shows in his team’s overachieving record, but wins aren’t the main point of this season. Pierce is meeting the organizational prime directive of developing the young Hawks, and his team has embraced the play-fast-and-let-it-fly offense that is part of its ethos.
You can see Pierce’s influence when you watch the Hawks play. You also see it with all the touches. I don’t mean passes and deflections, though the Hawks get plenty of those. I’m talking about high-fives.