In the four years since their surprise run to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, the Atlanta Hawks have been nothing but unlucky. Their Dejounte Murray experiment did not yield the results that they wanted and this was exacerbated by injuries to key players left and right.

The Hawks, led by Trae Young, are expected to enter the upcoming season fully healthy and with the Eastern Conference race seemingly wide open, they might be looking at their best chance to make the franchise’s first NBA Finals since 1961.

WHAT’S NEW?

Atlanta’s new general manager Onsi Saleh bolstered the team’s depth this offseason with the addition of Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Luke Kennard. 

Porzingis, who just turned 30 years old last month, played a key role in the Boston Celtics’ run to the 2024 NBA title. Last season, he was in and out of the Celtics’ line-up due to various injuries and illnesses, but when he did play, he was still quite effective. In 42 regular season games last year, Porzingis put up 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 28 minutes per game. His most valuable on-court assets are his three-point shooting (41.2% three-point shooting) and rim protection ability, both of which could help unlock another level for these Hawks.

Young has yet to play with a strong pick-and-pop threat such as Porzingis over his first seven years with the Hawks, so this partnership could immediately unlock several new aspects of the game for him.

The team’s other key additions, Alexander-Walker and Kennard, will give them some much needed backcourt depth. These two veteran guards not only bring excellent on-ball defense (Alexander-Walker) and shooting (Kennard), but also provide the team with valuable playoff experience.

BIGGEST QUESTIONS

Atlanta’s biggest unknown heading into the season is their incoming fifth-year forward Jalen Johnson.

The 23-year-old already has more than enough tools to become a superstar–physique, strength, athleticism, and passing ability to name a few–though injuries have slowed him down over the past two seasons. If he can stay healthy, there is no reason to believe that he can become an NBA All-Star as early as this coming February. Most players on the Hawks’ roster are already known commodities, so any further upside from this team hinges on the continued improvement of Johnson.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Young and Johnson are already a given and are likely to emerge as the team’s top two scorers.

What the team needs is for Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu to pick up from where they left off last season.

Daniels, who picked up the nickname “The Great Barrier Thief” last season for his penchant for steals, was a revelation in his first season with Atlanta. He averaged a league-leading three steals per game and finished as the runner-up in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year race. 

Meanwhile, Okongwu is finally entering a season as the team’s projected starting center after being buried in the rotation behind Clint Capela, who has now returned to the Houston Rockets, over the past few years. With Capela sidelined by an injury, Okongwu became the team’s full-time starting center in January and did not look back. In 40 games as a starter last season, he averaged 15.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.

If these two can continue playing like this in the upcoming season, the Hawks could very well emerge as a top three seed in the East. 

REASON FOR OPTIMISM/CONCERN:

Outside of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks, there is no deeper team in the East than Atlanta. Young is now a veteran as he is entering his eighth season and this group has the advantage of familiarity as most of them have already been together for a few years now. Anything less than home court advantage in the first round of the postseason will be viewed as a disappointment, so the bar is quite high for these Hawks. 

Injuries remain a key risk as key players such as Johnson and Porzingis have been far from durable in recent years. However, if Porzingis’ form in this summer’s EuroBasket is any indication of what he will bring to Atlanta, the rest of the league is going to be in trouble.