The Atlanta Hawks have five players on the 2024-25 roster from their run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2020-21.
That includes Bogdan Bogdanovic, Clint Capela, De’Andre Hunter, Onyeka Okongwu and Trae Young. That turnover rate isn’t necessarily unique to the Hawks. But it has left them in a rather telling situation considering how the the last seasons have taken place.
Young is the Hawks’ longest-tenured playeras Luke Adams recently listed in Hoops Rumors.
Selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the 5th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft and traded to the Hawks on draft night, the soon-to-be 26-year-old guard is not new to this field but finds himself in a unique position.
Eight players were drafted after Young and currently play that position. Only one of those players — Zion Williamson, the New Orleans Pelicans’ 2019 first-overall pick — is also the face of the franchise like Young.
Like Young, Williamson has had his share of disappointments and injuries.
THE Pelicans trade for Murray This summer. Injuries have been a major cause of disappointment for Williamson. But the theme is that it’s hard to win with young stars in the NBA.
Devin Booker is the last player on the list who can claim to be the No. 1 player to lead his team to the NBA Finals. But Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown is a 1B player at worst and just won his first title.
They were drafted in 2015 and 2016 respectively and had plenty of help to reach the final.
For Booker in particular, success came after years of hard work as the Suns struggled to put the right pieces around him.
Young’s size has often been used to denigrate his ability to lead a team. But his age and the support group around him deserve more attention. That’s why this Hawks reorganization is essential after the two-year experiment with Dejounte Murray.
If the Hawks’ simplified approach leads to better results, it could make the next step clearer.
The Hawks’ biggest mistake in acquiring Murray was projecting his skills into an off-ball role, despite the fact that he was his team’s best player as a primary point guard.
With the current roster, the Hawks are built to isolate Young defensively, that’s for sure. What’s less certain is how well they’ll be able to overcome the issues that led to Murray’s acquisition via trade with the San Antonio Spurs in 2022.
Otherwise, is their new stopping power potential enough to overcome this?
How quickly No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher learns to play professionally will be critical for the Hawks. He already appears to have at least developed strength, if not mass.
Health is also paramount for these Hawks. All of the projected major contributors have missed significant time due to injuries over the past few seasons. It’s a pretty tough needle to thread with a lot on the line despite a potential decline in 2024-25.
