Following a tough Monday defeat against the Portland Trail Blazers, Atlanta Hawks top executive Travis Schlenk aired some noteworthy sentiments for his team this season.
The Hawks, in spite of the spectacular 56 markers and 14 dimes of franchise man Trae Young, crumbled on their 20th loss. To add further on the recent disappointment, they allowed the Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum-less Blazers to drop 136 points against themselves, a clear testament of their subpar defensive construction.
Joining the 92.9 The Game on Tuesday, Schlenk offered words that the Atlanta fans must certainly have to watch out for.
“It’s a hard pill to swallow when you’re team isn’t playing as well as you think it should,” Schlenk said. “Maybe I should lower my expectations for this team. Ultimately, all this falls on my shoulders. I put this group together and they’re not responding.”
Off to a promising 2021 playoff run in which they saw their second Eastern Conference Finals appearance in six years, the Hawks were expected to break out for more relative success in this 75th season of the league. Unfortunately due to injuries, inconsistencies and COVID-19 issues, they are currently underachieving and filling the lowly 12th seed of the conference.
“It’s the same thing every game. Ultimately, this all falls on me,” Schlenk taking responsibility. “So, we need to take a long look at this and see if this group is the group we saw last year in the second half of the season or if this is the group this year.”
“It’s just frustrating because we’ve seen this group have success. And, to see the group not make the necessary effort plays to win an NBA game, it’s just become frustrating … We have a few weeks before the trade deadline here, and this is what I need to figure out. It’s my responsibility to put a product on the floor that can win, and right now I’m not sure I have done that.”
From the statements given by Schlenk, there is a huge possibility that a roster overhaul will take place sooner. No one has expected that the franchise will struggle in a case like this due to the talent and the flourishing abilities of their young core being led by Young.
Indeed, all eyes should be set on the next urgent plans of the Atlanta’s management, as they continue to dip lower into contention.
