Hawks Finally Hit the Panic Button on Defense, Insert Lu Dort Into Starting Lineup

The Atlanta Hawks have finally realized that treating defense like a mild inconvenience is a great way to ruin a season.

Underdog NBA reported that Atlanta is shaking up its starting five for Monday's game against the Indiana Pacers, rolling out CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Luguentz Dort, and Onyeka Okongwu.

"Underdog NBA tweeted: 'Lineup alert: Hawks will start McCollum, Alexander-Walker, Daniels, Dort, Okongwu on Monday.'"

For the last week, the Hawks were trotting out Jalen Johnson in that forward spot, leaning into a five-man unit that posted a ridiculous 123.1 offensive rating last season. It was the basketball equivalent of taking the doors off your Jeep, which is incredibly fun right up until you hit the highway.

Then the New Orleans Pelicans handed them a 121-99 reality check on Saturday. Dropping to 3-4 on the season while bleeding points apparently forced the coaching staff to put a guy on the floor who actually enjoys guarding people.

Enter Dort. Putting a human brick wall into the starting five next to Daniels, who is currently terrorizing opposing guards with 3.0 steals per game, completely changes the geometry of this team.

It also helps hide McCollum on the defensive end, which is necessary considering the veteran guard needs to focus on finding his shot. McCollum just followed up a brutal five-point disaster against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a quiet 14 points against New Orleans.

If you are staring at the betting total for Monday night's matchup, you have to factor in this identity crisis. The Hawks are actively pivoting away from track-meet basketball and trying to drag opponents into a rock fight.

We will find out Monday if this new defensive shell actually holds up, or if the Pacers are just going to run them out of the gym anyway.