After an unexpected playoff run to the 2021 National Basketball Association Eastern Conference Finals, the Atlanta Hawks had an underwhelming 2021-2022 season. The team finished with a 43-39 record and ended the season with a Game 5 loss to the top-seeded Miami Heat in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. This season, the Hawks are poised to bounce back.
The Hawks’ struggles last season largely stemmed from heavy reliance on their Third Team All-NBA point guard Trae Young. While Young carried the Hawks in 2021, last season’s results show that he still needs support from the rest of the roster if they want to be the king of the East. Depending on Young prevented the Hawks from maintaining consistency on either side of the court.
Offensively, the Hawks lacked a playmaker other than Young, meaning that the team’s offense was stale if he was not on the court or played poorly. In 2021, for example, the Hawks averaged 114 points per game with Young and 101 points per game without him. In last year’s playoffs, the Heat were particularly keen to expose that weakness. Their entire defensive focus was to shut down Young, and once they had successfully done that, the Hawks were unable to create an effective offense.
Defensively, the Hawks lacked consistency, for reasons other than Young’s shortcomings on that end of the court. An easy excuse could be the health issues they faced: forwards John Collins and De’Andre Hunter, two of the Hawks’ best defenders, missed extensive stretches last season due to injury.
In particular, Hunter has the potential to make a real impact. Hawks fans have only seen flashes of Hunter’s greatness, with his most notable performance being last year’s Game 5 against the Heat, when Hunter scored 35 points, grabbed 11 boards and had three steals. Many believe that Hunter has the potential to be one of the best two-way players in the league. Then again, his short career has been plagued with injuries – Hunter has missed over 100 games in just three years.
However, the larger problem was the lack of urgency and effort of the Hawks. They simply didn’t seem to care about playing good defense, which was backed up by their finishing 26th in the league’s defensive rating rankings.
I fully acknowledge that, up until this point, I have just been criticizing the Hawks, but they deserve some praise for making a decisive, much-needed move this off-season. On June 29, Atlanta traded Danilo Gallinari and three first-round picks to the San Antonio Spurs for All-star guard Dejounte Murray.
Murray can do everything the Hawks need right now. As opposed to Young, who is undersized and a defensive liability, Murray is a big playmaker who led the NBA in steals last season. It is unlikely that Young has become more than a lackluster defender over the summer, but when placed in a lineup with Collins, Hunter, Murray and center Clint Capela, his flaws are easier to cover.
Murray also gives the Hawks more balance offensively. Young is no longer the only playmaker on the team, so their offensive success isn’t solely dependent on him anymore. Additionally, Young’s ability to space the floor pairs very well with Murray’s ability to attack the basket – defenses will have a hard time stopping that combination. Murray’s playmaking skills also allow Young to play off the ball more, which would give the Hawks a much-needed influx of offensive options.
Given that Young shot 48% on catch-and-shoot threes last year, such a shift could be especially effective. Moreover, head coach Nate McMillan has talked about potentially staggering the two guards’ minutes, making sure the Hawks’ offense never goes stale as it often has when Young wasn’t on the floor in previous years.
Oftentimes when adding pieces to a team, subtraction is necessary as well. The Hawks lost several key players this summer, notably Gallinari, guards Kevin Huerter (traded to the Sacramento Kings) and Lou Williams (free agency). Those losses no doubt require some of the younger prospects to fill larger roles, specifically third-year center Onyeka Okongwu.
Okongwu has been very productive when on the floor, but his playing time has been limited as he has missed over 60 games in just two seasons. Okongwu is an incredibly able scorer around the basket and even developed a jump shot this summer. Some have said that, at 6 feet 8 inches tall, Okongwu is too small for his position, but his height actually allows him to be a quick and versatile defender. When switching on pick-and-rolls, Okongwu can keep up with smaller guards and effectively defend his opponent. Even when matched up against much larger players, like Milwaukee Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Okongwu stands his ground and blocks their shots. The key to Okongwu’s success this season – and thus the Hawks’ success – is health. If Okongwu can stay healthy, he will definitely be playing significant minutes for the team.
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Okongwu isn’t the only young player the Hawks can utilize. Second-year forward Jalen Johnson could add depth to the Hawks’ bench. Many criticized McMillan for Johnson’s low minutes last season, especially considering the impressive numbers he produced in the G-League. However, without Gallinari coming off the bench, Johnson will likely be the backup for John Collins and therefore receive more playing time.
Another essential player is shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanović, who played a major role in the team’s 2021 playoff run as a great wing scorer and defender. His presence will be increasingly important this year due to the loss of Huerter and Williams this off-season. Unfortunately, his seasons with the Hawks have been ill-fated – he’s missed roughly 60 games over two seasons due to injury. This summer, Bogdanović underwent another surgery on his right knee but is expected to be back by the start of the season.
The Hawks have set themselves up for success. They made off-season acquisitions in an attempt to solve their problems and their young players are taking strides in a positive direction.
The problem? This year’s Eastern Conference is loaded. Even if everything works out for the Hawks, they still could conceivably be a fifth or sixth seed. Still, the Hawks have definitely improved. Even if the current roster doesn’t bring a championship to Atlanta in 2023, this season can bring the Hawks one step closer to winning some hardware.
