The NBA season is still only nine weeks away from starting, and the offseason is currently at its quietest point. Barring something unforeseen, that leaves plenty of time to reflect on team performance and determine where each team stands in their respective conferences.
The Hawks are a team that has mixed feelings about them and what they did this offseason. Atlanta won the draft lottery and then selected French forward Zaccharie Risacher with the first pick and they traded Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans for Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance, EJ Liddell, Cody Zeller and two first-round picks. They then traded Liddell to Phoenix for David Roddy. The Hawks have dealt with the trade rumors surrounding Trae Young and now have an interesting team that is better suited to maximizing his skills and improving the two biggest weaknesses of last year’s Hawks, which were size and defense.
While it can be argued that the Hawks have improved in some areas, not everyone is happy with the direction the Hawks are taking this season. ESPN had a panel of experts vote on a variety of topics for the upcoming season and when it came to which teams could fall this year, the Hawks received a number of votes, finishing third behind the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. Here’s what was said about those teams:
“When it comes to voting on Team Turmoil, the focus is on the uncertainty on the pitch, the coaching staff and the management.
The “winner” this season is the Los Angeles Lakers, who have a new coach in JJ Redick, a superstar turning 40 in LeBron James and plenty of questions on the court after their first-round playoff exit last season.
Behind the Lakers are their cross-town rivals, the LA Clippers, who open the brand-new Intuit Dome with one All-Star down after Paul George left for Philadelphia. The Hawks move into third place after trading Dejounte Murray in the offseason and handing the offensive reins to Trae Young, whose future in Atlanta remains uncertain.
I think the Hawks could be a better team than last year, but the main reason I would push them to “fall” is because they don’t have much of a chance of falling. The Hawks finished 9th in the Eastern Conference this year and while there is some debate about their quality, I feel comfortable saying the Hawks are better than Toronto, Chicago, Brooklyn, Washington, Detroit, and Charlotte, which means I still like them as a play-in team. Voting for the Lakers and Clippers makes sense since they could all be eliminated from the playoffs.
I would say Atlanta has improved this season while admitting they are not a Finals contender. Getting Risacher and Daniels should improve the defense and fit Trae Young better. Jalen Johnson and Oneyka Okongwu are candidates to take a leap forward this year, not to mention Bogdan Bogdanovic, Larry Nance, Clint Capela and De’Andre Hunter give the Hawks depth and versatility they didn’t have last year.
Dan Favale, analyst at Bleacher Report gave a reason why the Hawks shouldn’t be overlooked this season and he mentioned the versatility of their roster:
“Determining an exact direction for the Atlanta Hawks remains somewhat difficult.
They have Trae Young and don’t control their own first-round pick until 2029, so they have every reason to go all-in. At the same time, the roster is set up to rely on a handful of developing prospects, including first-round pick Zaccharie Risacher, Dyson Daniels, and, to some extent, Kobe Bufkin (backup point guard minutes seem wide open).
That’s to say nothing of players like Onyeka Okongwu and Jalen Johnson, who could benefit from extensions. Both are safe bets. Neither, however, is a finished product.
All of this adds up to a team with immediate expectations that could experience (a lot of) growing pains. I’m in for all of that, provided head coach Quin Snyder capitalizes on the versatility of the roster at his disposal.
Okongwu, Johnson and Larry Nance Jr. allow the Hawks to trim their roster without trimming their game. Risacher has fantastic size at 6’1″ and should be extremely versatile on offense with his transition craftiness and half-court movement. De’Andre Hunter is another 6’1″ body and improved his shooting last season. David Roddy is 6’4″ but plays like he’s 6’1″ for better or worse.
Hopefully Atlanta gets creative around Young. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing him alongside Daniels, Johnson, Risacher and Nance. The floor spacing could get tight, in which case Hunter could be slotted into one of the other positions. But the defensive intensity and malleability would be very entertaining.
The Hawks haven’t had the best offseason in the NBA, but I think they’ve improved in some areas and have a team that makes more sense. Let’s see if that leads to more wins.
