The Atlanta Hawks made one of the biggest moves in NBA Free Agency this Summer by trading Dejounte Murray to New Orleans, but they have been quiet since then. Atlanta has remade their roster around trying to maximize Trae Young's strengths and has done a good job of doing so in my opinion. While I would not claim the Hawks are title contenders or even a top-four team in the East, they are a tier above the bottom of the East and can challenge for a spot in the playoffs.
In the first set of power rankings since free agency ended, Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey put the Hawks at No. 22:
"The Atlanta Hawks jumped nine spots in the lottery, drafted Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 overall pick and landed intriguing second-rounder Nikola Đurišić with a trade.
Combine those two with 22-year-old Jalen Johnson and 23-year-old Onyeka Okongwu, and it's easy to get excited about this young core.
Heck, even Trae Young—who's now back to being the unquestioned primary playmaker following this summer's Dejounte Murray trade—is only 25. And he's a good enough offensive engine to have Atlanta in the mix for a play-in spot even while the younger players develop."
Will these additions and this roster translate to more wins? That is not what the oddsmakers atCaesars Sportsbookthink right now in their first released win totals for the upcoming 2024-2025 season. Atlanta is starting off with a 35.5 win total, which is 9th in the Eastern Conference, ahead of Brooklyn, Detroit, Washington, Chicago, Charlotte, and Toronto. Boston has the highest win total in the Eastern Conference and the NBA at 58.5.
I don't think that this is an unfair win total for the Hawks, but I would like them to go over it right now. I think that the way this roster is constructed, it can take advantage of Trae Young's strengths and more effectively cover up his weaknesses on defense. Daniels has the argument to be the best perimeter defender that Young has played with and if he is the starter alongside him, he can be the point-of-attack defender that the Hawks have needed alongside Young. Daniels has to find a way to be a consistent three-point shooter and contribute on offense, but having Young as a point guard should help in that regard.
What this upcoming Hawks season might be dependent on is the development and growth of the players around Young. Jalen Johnson might have won the Most Improved Player Award last season if he had stayed healthy and he looks like he could be a future All-Star. If Johnson can make the necessary leaps on both ends of the floor, the ceiling of the Hawks goes up considerably.
It is not just Johnson though. While Risacher is not as hyped as other No. 1 picks in the past, he has the ability to help the Hawks sooner rather than later. Coming into the draft, he was lauded for his shooting ability, his size, and his defense. Risacher has struggled to shoot the ball so far in Summer League, but the other parts of his game have been as advertised. Atlanta does not need Risacher to be an All-Star in year one, but for them to go over this win total, he will need to provide scoring and versatility on the defensive end.
What are the Hawks going to do at the center position? Currently the Hawks have Clint Capela, Onyeka Okongwu, Larry Nance, Bruno Fernando, and Cody Zeller. Atlanta is unlikely to carry all five players on the roster and need to decide what to do. Do they keep Capela and have him and Okongwu be the center tandem again? Do the Hawks move Capela and finally make Okongwu the starter, with Nance the likely backup? Whatever they decide to do, either Capela or Okongwu is likely going to be the starter this season?
Bogdan Bogdanovic is going to be one of the best players on the Hawks and there is not a lot I can say about him. He should have won 6th Man of the Year last season and will be one of the best players on the Hawks again this season.
Kobe Bufkin and De'Andre Hunter (if he is still on the team) are two other players who could swing the season for the Hawks. Bufkin might be relied upon as the backup point guard on the team, but he has struggled staying healthy and this would be a big role for him. Hunter was good when he came off the bench last season and I am interested to see if Quin Snyder does that this season.
It is a low win total to start the season for the Hawks, but there is a path for them to exceed that total. It will depend a lot on the young players they have and how they can fit around Trae Young.
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