It has been a struggle for the Atlanta Hawks as of late; they have lost six games in a row to fall to 22-25 on the season, with their latest defeat coming at the hands of the surging Houston Rockets, 100-96. As is the case with nearly every Rockets game this season, it was a dogfight — with the Hawks being held down to 40.4 percent shooting from the field and a rather poor night from deep (11-47, 23.4 percent).

The Rockets have simply emerged as a different defensive animal this season, with nascent sophomore Amen Thompson capturing the hearts of plenty of fans in recent weeks for his stellar two-way play. And there might not be a bigger sign that denotes the Rockets' arrival among the elite than some validation from Dyson Daniels, one of the best defenders in the perimeter in today's NBA.

“I think (the Rockets) are the most physical team in the league, to be honest,” Daniels told Jameela Johnson via Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com.

Indeed, the Rockets have built such a stacked team filled with athletes that can get up and down the floor in a hurry, and they can be downright overwhelming to deal with at times. Thompson may be getting all the plaudits as of late, but he's being flanked by plenty of elite defenders, most notably the likes of Dillon Brooks and Tari Eason.

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Perhaps this is a blueprint the Hawks can follow as they look to return to consistent winning ways. They have someone like Daniels as their defensive anchor on the perimeter, while Jalen Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher profile as athletic wings that can smother the opposition, but acquiring a few more athletic wings who give it their all on defense could be the way to maximize Trae Young's talents moving forward.

Hawks are falling on hard times over the past week or so

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) is defended by Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) in the first quarter at State Farm Arena.
Brett Davis-Imagn Images

It hasn't helped matters at all for the Hawks that Jalen Johnson, one of the biggest breakout stars of this season, has been dealing with a shoulder injury in recent days. But it is definitely a worry that Atlanta can't seem to buy a win as of late, especially during consecutive games against the rebuilding Toronto Raptors last week.

Joining Johnson on the mend are Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Zaccharie Risacher, and the Hawks simply do not have enough weapons to weather absences from some of their most featured players in the rotation.