Empty the Bench

They should also mention the number 8, as in the Hawks playoff seed. After years of futility in the ATL, mostly struggling to find a presence in the post, Horford has been an immediate impact player down low. Durant is coming on strong lately, and he’s probably got more upside and certainly more scoring ability than Horford, but he’s also a swingman — those are a dime a dozen in this league, and Seattle has made a point over the years of proving you can’t win without a big man. Finding a true big who can play both ways is far more difficult and tends to have a far greater effect on teams. Nobody has won a title without one in a decade.

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