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 were one of the most interesting teams to watch at the start of the offseason. They had a lot of roster issues to address and how they handled it depends on who you ask. The Hawks received mixed reviews for taking Zaccharie Risacher with the first pick and while Atlanta only had a 3% chance of winning the lottery, it was considered a lower draft pick than most years. The Hawks ended up trading Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans and broke up the Murray and Trae Young backcourt duo. While the Trae Young trade rumors have cooled considerably this summer and he almost certainly won’t be traded before or during this season, some analysts still believe the Hawks’ franchise centerpiece will be moved. Today, ESPN ran a story on The Guardian. sign Experts are voting on a variety of topics for the upcoming season and one of the topics was who would be the next superstar to be traded. Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram and Bulls point guard Zach LaVine were tied for first with five votes, but Young was second with four votes.
These rumors aren’t going to go away unless the Hawks win and feel like they have a path forward, which is a lot more realistic than people think. While the Hawks seem to be headed in the wrong direction since reaching the conference finals, they’re still a young team that has players who are developing into stars alongside Young and players who complement his skill set very well, which isn’t the case due to poor roster and construction decisions in the past. Guys like Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu, and Risacher could provide positive prospects for the Hawks’ future if they can make the necessary steps forward. I think the trade talks regarding Trae Young should be put on hold until there’s a clear answer to these questions.
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.
