Grant Afseth and TJ French preview the Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks first-round playoff series, breaking down Dyson Daniels vs. Jalen Brunson and more.
The Atlanta Hawks will open their first full playoff series since 2022 against the New York Knicks this week, and hosts Grant Afseth and TJ French broke down the first-round matchup on the latest episode of the Hawks Roundtable Podcast.
The Knicks enter as the higher seed with home-court advantage in a matchup the hosts described as one of the most evenly balanced first-round pairings in the bracket.
Atlanta and New York last met April 6, with the Knicks winning 108-105. The Hawks led for 52 percent of that game and attempted 42 threes, connecting on 16 at 38.1 percent. The Knicks dominated the paint, 52-34.
"I think I speak for all Atlanta fans as saying that pretty much makes the season a success," French said of the Hawks reaching a full playoff series for the first time in four years.
The hosts identified Dyson Daniels as Atlanta's X-factor on both ends of the floor. Daniels is expected to carry the primary defensive assignment against Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson, who scored 15 fourth-quarter points in the April 6 meeting to lift New York past Atlanta.
"Dyson does it all," French said. "He rebounds, he assists, and he can score at a high rate."
Afseth said the Knicks' coverage of Daniels on offense will be one of the key tactical questions of the series, particularly whether New York treats him as a non-shooter and collapses the paint to limit driving lanes for the rest of the Hawks' rotation.
On the other side, French identified Knicks center Mitchell Robinson as New York's X-factor off the bench. With the Hawks missing Jock Landale, the assignment against Robinson and starting center Karl-Anthony Towns will fall to Onyeka Okongwu and Tony Bradley.
Okongwu shot 4-of-13 in the April 6 meeting and grabbed 8 rebounds in 37 minutes, with 4 coming on the offensive end. Both Towns and Robinson posted 12-rebound performances for New York.
Afseth flagged Towns' three-point shooting as a swing factor. Towns is shooting 36.8 percent from three this season on 4.1 attempts per game, down from 42 percent in his first year with the Knicks and 41.6 percent in his final season with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The hosts also pointed to shot selection as a key variable for Atlanta's bench rotation, which includes Jonathan Kuminga, Zaccharie Risacher, Mohamed Gueye, and Gabe Vincent. The Hawks' bench combined for 8 points in the April 6 loss.
French predicted a seven-game series, citing Atlanta's home performance since March and what he described as the Knicks' uneven finish to the regular season. The first two games are at Madison Square Garden, with Games 3 and 4 set for Atlanta.
"This series is going to be decided by Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Johnson, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker," French said. "It's just who's shooting the best each and every night."
New episodes of the Hawks Roundtable Podcast will publish following every game of the first round.