A first-round postseason loss is a disappointment for some teams, but for the Atlanta Hawks, the first-round loss to the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks was something to tip their hat to. 

What was initially a season that felt lost to the youth movement after the Hawks traded away Trae Young turned into a trip to the playoffs that saw Atlanta take two wins over the Knicks, which was the most any of New York’s opponents had in a single postseason series. In fact, the Hawks held a 2-1 series lead before the Knicks finally took control of the series. As tough as the series loss was, though, it seems to be the driving force for Atlanta’s offseason agenda. 

The goal for the Hawks this offseason was to get tougher and to get go-getters. This is why they brought back CJ McCollum, who nearly supplanted Young as New York’s Public Enemy No. 1 because of his endgame exploits against the Knicks. 

McCollum provides not just the clutch scoring and big game performances; his veteran leadership will be crucial to the development of Dyson Daniels, Ryan Nembhard, and rookie Kingston Flemings. 

Acquiring Lu Dort was a move aimed to add more defensive toughness, especially in the Eastern Conference. The 27-year old had a relatively down year last season, but his durability (Dort played in at least 69 games in the last four seasons) should make him a reliable contributor on the defensive end, where he has been among the NBA’s best. 

Zaccharie Risacher never really lived up to the expectations that come with top picks and so Atlanta’s decision to move on from him after two seasons was unfortunate, yet understandable. That was also the cost to bring in Dort and Nembhard and for Risarcher, he gets a chance for a fresh start with a Dallas Mavericks squad that could use more wings to support Cooper Flagg. 

It remains to be seen if the Hawks will continue to make moves, but for now, Atlanta is working towards a more competitive roster than last season.That they made these moves well before training camp should help everyone get on the same page before the games begin. 

While there was measure of success during the Trae Young era and even now with Jalen Johnson firmly entrenched as the franchise cornerstone, the Atlanta Hawks were largely on the outside looking in. They’re working towards turning a setback into a comeback of greater proportions by building on what worked for them in the postseason. Perhaps this can help them avert the slow starts that spelled doom for them in the past; after all consistency is what has prevented them from getting over the hump.