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For so long, the Atlanta Hawks have been the billboard for mediocrity among NBA franchises. Even as they employ one of the Association’s most polarizing names, in Trae Young, they have seldom stood out as more than a paper tiger. Though they have an Eastern Conference Finals appearance under their belt, they have yet to win more than 43 games since Young entered the Association.
What’s more, the Hawks have one of the NBA’s longest 50-win-season droughts. They have not cleared the benchmark since the vaunted 60-win campaign in 2014-15.
Well, there’s a chance this is all about to change.
Don’t take our word for it, either. ESPN’s Basketball Power Index system projects the Hawks to win 48 games—which is very close to 50. Win totals at various sports betting Georgia sites that residents of The Peach State can access have Atlanta sitting anywhere between 47 and 51 wins.
This is a significant jump from last season’s 40-win campaign. And the ambitious goals make a world of sense when you dig into the opportunity and circumstances at hand.
The Hawks Just Had the NBA’s Best Offseason
Two factors are nudging the Hawks toward 50-win territory. The first and perhaps most important: They are coming off the most universally revered offseason in the entire league.
Indeed, the decision not to extend Trae is viewed as risky around certain corners of the league. Perhaps this is the case. But the Hawks want to see where they stand with him steering the current ship. What holding off on a deal until next summer, when he has a $49 million player option, lacks in certainty it makes up for in potential optionality.
Atlanta’s offseason was a consensus home run beyond that.
Adding Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kristaps Porzingis without giving up primo assets was a big deal. Alexander-Walker brings the consummate three-and-D skill set, with an emphasis on the later. If Porzingis is healthy, he epitomizes floor-spacing rim protection, which remains among the most coveted prototypes in existence.
Even bringing in Luke Kennard was a sneaky-good move. He has a track record of knee problems, but when he’s healthy, he promises deadeye shooting, as well as some off-the-dribble juice.
In the aggregate, the Hawks may still lack secondary playmaking around Young. But they have enough tertiary ball-handlers in Kennard, Alexander-Walker, Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels to move Young off the ball on occasions, and perhaps even tread offensive water while he’s on the bench.
More critically, Atlanta’s roster has the requisite versatility both inside and out to field a pesky defense with Young on the court. While the floor general’s effort has improved over the past couple of seasons, he remains undersized and is not particularly strong. Between Alexander Walker, Daniels and Zaccacharie Risacher, they have never been better suited to cover up for him on the perimeter. And if that line of defense fails, they should most of the time have at least one of Porzingis or Onyeka Okongwu to clean things up around the basket.
Have You Seen The Eastern Conference Landscape Lately?
A relatively shallow upper class in the Eastern Conference also bodes well for the Hawks. Right now, the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers are the only two certainties.
People want to throw the Orlando Magic in there after they acquired Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies. That’s fine. But we are talking about a Magic squad that has not fielded an above-average offense since Dwight Howard’s heyday. They are still ferrying the burden of proof. One player may not solve all of their offensive issues.
For argument’s sake, though, let’s go ahead and pencil in Orlando for that third-place spot. The East is absolutely, positively, without question wide-open after that.
Injuries are in large part responsible. Fresh off an NBA Finals appearance, Tyrese Haliburton is not expected to play for the Indiana Pacers until 2026-27 while recovering from an Achilles injury. Jayson Tatum hopes to return this season from his own Achilles injury, but the Boston Celtics unmade their contending roster in the face of his luxury-tax implications and his extended absence.
From there, the East is chock full of maybes.
The Toronto Raptors have a bunch of talent. Does it all fit together? Maybe. The Miami Heat are sneaky deep. Can they navigate Tyler Herro’s absence to start the season, and also deploy offensively inclined lineups that don’t stink on defense? Maybe.
What does Giannis Antetokounmpo, Myles Turner and a bunch of dudes amount to for the Milwaukee Bucks? Are they a playoff team, or at least good enough to prevent him from requesting a trade midseason? Maybe. Is there a chance the Chicago Bulls are inadvertently too good? May—nah, never mind. We know better. They will be bad. You get the gist of it by now. The East is short on sure things. For the first time in a while, the Hawks, in fact, are among the surest things in the conference. That bodes well for them hit the 50-win threshold for the first time in a decade.