Redemption

(Atlanta Hawks)

The Recap

The Atlanta Hawks ended last season with much uncertainty, a disappointing playoff defeat to the Miami Heat and a number of questions needing answers in the offseason. Hawks players were mentioned in numerous trade rumors and the front office was vocal about changes to the roster for 2022-23. President Travis Schlenk said in an interview on 92.9 The Game back in April after the season ended. "We made the decision last year...to run the same group back...We probably should've tried to upgrade as opposed to stay status quo...The way the season played out, we're certainly going to try to upgrade the roster moving forward into next season." So, the question remained: what moves would the Hawks make during the offseason?

The Hawks started by filling the biggest hole on the team, which was getting a 2nd star next to Trae Young. The Hawks acquired all-star point guard Dejounte Murray in a trade with the San Antonio Spurs sending Danilo Gallinari and three future first round picks out in the trade. Young and Murray have been outspoken about wanting to play together and were in communication during the offseason about a potential team-up. Murray addressed those intentions after the trade was completed, saying "we've actually been talking for about two, three weeks. He pushed the deal. He wanted it as much as I wanted it. It's going to be special."

Atlanta promoted former NBA player and assistant GM Landry Fields to general manager, and he came out the gates saying a big goal for him was to improve the defense, an area the team struggled in last year. The Hawks ranked in the bottom five last year with a 114.9 defensive rating. The Blazers, Kings, Rockets, and Pacers had worse defensive ratings than Atlanta. The Hawks also moved on from Delon Wright and traded Kevin Huerter to the Kings. They drafted Duke forward AJ Griffin with the No. 16 overall pick and UConn’s Tyrese Martin in the second round. They also added the Holiday brothers in both Aaron and Justin, further adding to the defensive improvement. The Hawks come out of this offseason feeling like they addressed two of their biggest issues heading into the new campaign.

Season Look Ahead

One underrated storyline about this Hawks team is that, for the most part, everyone is healthy heading into the season. The only player who has been nursing an injury is Bogdan Bogdanovic who underwent knee surgery and won't be ready for the start of the regular season. The last injury update was he is being limited in practice. Last offseason a number of players underwent surgeries and procedures like Clint Capela getting a procedure on his achilles. De’Andre Hunter was also recovering from knee surgery. That could have contributed to why the team had such a slow start to begin last season. De'Andre Hunter, John Collins and Clint Capela are all healthy heading into this season.

Jalen Johnson, the Hawks’ 2021 first round pick is expected to pick up a larger role, picking up valuable experience playing in the G-League. Across 12 G-League games Johnson averaged 20.1 points and 11.8 rebounds to go with 4.1 assists, he also shot 37.5% from three-point range. His rookie year was mainly looked at as a development year and seems poised to make an impact in the rotation, also having his third-year option picked up by the front office. Onyeka Okongwu, who had his fourth-year option picked up, is also looking to continue his growth in his third year. Okongwu has improved his jumpshot this offseason, a goal he set for himself after last season. Some see him as the center of the future, and he continues to improve and will be crucial to the Hawks success in the frontcourt. Then also keep an eye out for AJ Griffin, as he could crack the rotation and make an impact if given the chance.

(Atlanta Hawks)

The biggest thing that I believe was missing from this team last year was an identity. The Hawks played the majority of possessions through Young and struggled to get offense started with players other than their all-NBA third-team guard. I said after the season ended, that the playoff series with the Miami Heat could be the best thing to happen to this team. The Heat knew who they were, had an identity and imposed their will on the Hawks and the team couldn't respond. It was a series that taught a major lesson and could be used as a mark in the crossroads that many great teams experience before they eventually get over the hump. The Hawks struggled to find that direction during the season about who and what they wanted to be.

Murray is known as an elite wing defender, averaging 2.0 steals per game last season with the Spurs and was the first guard left off the NBA all-defensive teams. Hunter is expected to take another step defensively, Capela is expected to get back to defensive player of the year contention, adding Justin and Aaron Holiday to also help defensively with a defensive-minded coach in Nate McMillan. These signs point to Landry Fields’ intention to help this team establish themselves defensively. The offensive end having more than just Young who can beat the opposing team will be huge. Hunter again is expected to take that next step offensively and could grow to become the team’s third scoring option. Trae Young with Murray in the backcourt will play more off the ball so defenses can't zone in on him. I expect a more free-flowing offense compared to last year's squad that was so dependent on Young being the sole engine on that end. I also expect two things to change as well: the pick-and-roll to be more effective with John Collins, Capela, and Okongwu, and for this team to improve in fastbreak opportunities. Since they technically have two point guards running the show, I expect assists numbers to be higher because of it.

Questions

((AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

A number of fans began to sour on Nate McMillan as head coach during last season, and he is someone who has some heat on his seat. The front office is expecting this team to be much better and if they struggle out of the gates again, a change could be considered at some point during the season. McMillan has worked with Trae Young this offseason in his home state of Oklahoma and the second-year head coach talked about it on NBA Tv saying "one of the big areas that I feel we need to improve on is the connection between the two of us. I think we need to be better at communicating with each other and what we want to do and how we want to go about doing it." I think this will be huge moving forward into the season. I'm sure Nate and Trae discussed many things about the team and the season, which will lead to better chemistry and a better understanding on how to reach the team’s full potential. I call this a much-needed reflection for both guys.

The next major question is about the results: How good will the Hawks be this year? Many NBA analysts believe the Hawks could finish in the top six of the Eastern Conference standings, which would lead to the team’s third straight playoff appearance. The East is tough once again this year though; Brooklyn is running it back with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, Boston is the defending conference champions, Philadelphia is expecting a better year with Joel Embiid and James Harden, Miami is always dangerous, and Milwaukee will also be in the mix with Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Hawks are hoping for the defensive improvement along with the pairing of a 2nd star will elevate them closer to the ECF and potential push for an NBA Finals appearance. The Hawks could be considered one of the dark horse teams of the Eastern conference this year.

The biggest questions I have for the team:

• 3-Point-Shooting

• The growth and chemistry of Trae and Murray.

• Will De'Andre become a reliable 3rd option?

• Defensive improvement

Three-point-shooting is a question mark because the Hawks traded Gallinari and Huerter who both were known as three-point specialists. The only remaining role player who currently fits that attribute is Bogdanović who is nursing a knee injury. The Hawks have guys who can shoot triples well but with the current roster their strength is more in the mid-range than the three-point range. They were second in three-point percentage last year behind the Los Angeles Clippers, but the Hawks need to remain around the middle of the pack in the league to be a threat.

Young and Murray might not mesh right out the gates so quickly and there could be some growing pains in the backcourt. Now, it doesn't mean they won't play well; it just means these two probably won't hit full stride until later in the year. I do think they both will make the game easier for each other, which will benefit each other's game in the advancement of their young careers. One question could be who's going to take the last shot at the end of games. At times last year, people questioned Young's decision making at the end of games if he didn't have it going that night, but now with Murray in the mix, opposing defenses are unable to focus all of their attention on Young. It may not matter who takes the last shot as long as they get the best quality shots available.

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De'Andre Hunter is an interesting case because we have seen flashes of great play, but also flashes of struggling play and he’s dealt with injuries throughout his career so far. He is entering a contract year and as of right now the Hawks and Hunter aren't close on a deal. Hunter says he is focused on the season. "I just come out here and play basketball. I’m confident in my abilities that everything else will take care of itself, Hunter said.” The 4th-year forward looks good in early preseason action but questions remain: will he remain healthy and will what we saw in the Miami series translate to the entire year.

As I have already mentioned as well, defense, defense and more defense. The Hawks have to be better on that end of the court to truly reach the next step among the Eastern Conference elites. They need to physically impose themselves on other teams and disrupt the rhythm. That will lead to more turnovers, transition baskets and better yet, more wins.

The Hawks come into this new season looking to redeem themselves and remove the taste of last season’s early playoff loss out of their mouths. The fan base is ready, and this team seems more rejuvenated and excited to play together. This regular season from Game 1-82 is expected to be taken more seriously and the team will look at each day as another day to grow and get better. The Hawks are going to take us on another ride this coming season and it might just end up being magical like it was just a couple years ago.

(NBAE via Getty Images)