The Atlanta Hawks have been a bit of a mystery this season as they have looked great some days and looked not so great on other days. With their 12-9 record so far one thing is clear and that is that these Hawks aren't quite as good as last year's 60 win team and one of the reasons for that is they miss DeMarre Carroll. The Hawks have tried to replace him this season from within and although his replacements have been pretty good they haven't had the same type of impact.
Kent Bazemore had the first shot at starting on the wing alongside Kyle Korver and he is having himself a nice season but the past three games Thabo Sefolosha has stepped into the starting lineup and it appears head coach Mike Budenholzer wants to keep it that way, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Since Sefolosha has entered the starting lineup the Hawks have gone 1-2 but they have played three very good teams in that stretch so it is unfair to judge based on that small sample size. Budenholzer said Bazemore didn't play his way out of the starting lineup but he just likes Sefolosha's defensive ability.
"I think Bazmoree has done well. I think Thabo has done well. We feel fortunate that we have two guys who can be in that spot. So, I think we are finding different combinations. For right now, we are sticking with it. Thabo, his length and having guarded the best players for a long time in the league. Having Baze with that second group, another guy that can attack and play pick-and-roll and dribble and do some things. We'll see how it goes," said Budenholzer.
Clearly Sefolosha starting isn't set in stone but who starts isn't really all that important as both guys will still have a role. Choosing between the two is like splitting hairs as they both have extremely similar numbers this season including their PER's as Bazemore is at 15.1 while Sefolosha is at 15.9. Bazemore is more of the offensive option between the two although Sefolosha has shot it well this season, while Sefolosha is more of the defensive option although Bazemore has been solid on that side of the ball.
The timing of the change to the starting lineup seems a little bit strange for Budenholzer as Bazemore is having himself a nice season but it is hard to argue. Sefolosha is a veteran who is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league and he has not hurt them at all on offense so the change is not one that Hawks fans should have a gripe about.
