Soaring to New Heights.

(@ATLHawks)

The 2021-2022 Atlanta Hawks season is right around the corner and the franchise has high aspirations for the season ahead. The Hawks are coming off a Eastern Conference Final appearance and a full bill of health, which means another deep playoff run is potentially in the future for these young Hawks. They are running it back with most of the same roster with a few changes to fill holes on roster. I already personally believe this roster is built to better handle injuries than last year’s roster. The hope is injuries won't be a major part of this season, and they will have all their weapons locked and loaded throughout the season. This team knows they won't sneak up on anyone this year but also realizes no one is picking them either. Falling under the radar is just what these Hawks thrive on.

This is still a very young team, they don't fit the usual league mold in terms of signing a bunch of stars or having a veteran team. That's what makes their success that much special. They have a bunch of drafted players from previous drafts that Travis Schlenk the GM has hit on. They were developed here as that also is one of the reasons why the fan base connects to this team because they are homegrown. This year each player continues their path towards success and ultimately together having a common goal that is wanted to be reached.

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Trae Young enters his 4th year in the league, building on his success of last year, taking his game to the next level in the playoffs, and getting his first signature shoe that was just released. He is firmly the face of this franchise and is potentially the face of Atlanta Sports. He has been very active this off-season, from his workout videos to WWE appearances. He is becoming a player that kids grow up watching and wanting to become like. He is raising the Hawks brand to another level and making this team the "cool" team to watch in the league.

Then we have John Collins, who is now paid and ready to give his all for this team. He wants to continue what he has built here and bring a championship to Atlanta. Bogi, a fan favorite, emerged this last season as a lethal shooter and the running mate to Young. He looks to continue his success and light up the state farm arena while putting a dagger in other teams. De'Andre Hunter’s season was injury riddled last year but showed flashes of a higher ceiling than some people expected. Before he went down, not counting the 5 games he played at the end of the regular season, he averaged 17.2 points on 51.4% shooting and 5.4 rebounds and would guard the best offensive player. Hunter has All-star potential. Capela will continue to do all the dirty work on the boards and defensively. He may not get the appreciation he deserves but the Hawks know how important he is to their success.

Kevin Huerter, or as some people call him K'Von has signed an extension with the Hawks as they have been locking up their young core. He has come a long way from when he was a rookie. Now he is a huge part of what the Hawks do. His importance to this team is clear, and if he continues to keep improving could be the ultimate X-Factor for the Hawks. The development that he has ungone to become one of the better two way players is great. Cam Reddish is also a guy who is looking for a bounce back season. Injuries derailed his season and we couldn't see the growth we expected. We got a sneak peek in game 6 of it in the ECF, but now he's healthy and ready to show us what he can do this year. Onyeka Okongwu, although starting the season injured, showed how much he improved when he played last year in his first year, and there is excitement to see the further fruits of labor to his game.

Then we have the rookies Jalen Johnson and Sharfie Cooper, who will have a tough time cracking the lineup, but with the competitive nature of the team and coaching, they will both have chances to show improvements and what they can do at this level. You never know, you might need to count on them during the season at certain times. They both have great talent so don't think the level of play will drop off if they hit the floor. Cooper, I think, can push Wright for that backup PG spot based off his preseason and summer league performance , and Johnson will have opportunities to make impact as well because of injuries or because of certain players resting. He has a huge upside that has been seen in summer league and preseason as well. They both considered steals of the draft for the Hawks.

Then we can't forget the veterans, Lou Will, Gallo and Solo. They all have their role to play and will continue to help the young guys on the team. When called upon, they will be absolutely ready to contribute. Delon Wright and Gorgui Dieng, the new guys to the squad, will play major roles as well. Wright is expected to back up Trae and be the backup PG. The Hawks have needed a PG to spell Young and be productive with the 2nd unit for some time now. He also provides size in the backcourt and can get a bucket if needed. Dieng provides not only much needed depth upfront but also size and shooting. He shot 42% from three last year and can stretch the floor for the Hawks, which will create more spacing.

JEFF HANISCH, USA TODAY SPORTS

Nate McMillian is assigned this season to get this team to further levels and depths this franchise has never seen. He has instilled a will and a fight in this team that became more apparent as he led the turnaround of this team last season. He has a new set of challenges this season with this team having expectations and a bunch of talent. Can McMillian get the most out of the players? Will he use the correct lineups in certain situations? Will he be afraid to sit a guy who is struggling or not a good matchup against the opposing team? These are some of the questions that will be asked. McMillian has fully instilled his blueprint of this team and the players, I believe, have bought into what he is teaching. Travis Schlenk has provided the Talent, and also has given him long term job security, and now it's McMillian's time to show the league he is one of the premier and elite head coaches in the game.

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The Competition

The Hawks have steep competition in the Eastern Conference, as it is loaded this year. The Hawks do have confidence and believe they have the firepower to match up and get through it. I will do a brief analysis of the 4 teams the Hawks may have to get through to get to the finals in the east.

Miami Heat : The Heat have a deep squad as well this season with Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, Bam, and Duncan Robinson. We can't forget Herro and Oladipo are also looking to have bounce back seasons, then adding PJ Tucker and Markieff Morris. These Heat look pretty damn good. This, to me, is the most interesting matchup for the Hawks. They are also in the same division and, even though in basketball that isn't a big deal like it is in other sports, it is still just something added to this matchup. The Heat are getting a lot of love from the media as a dark horse and the Hawks just might play spoiler like they did to the Knicks when the media hyped them up last year as well.

Milwaukee Bucks : The Bucks are the defending champs and so automatically are the team to beat. Many Hawks believe they would have won against the Bucks if Young didn't get hurt in the series. The one thing the Bucks did in those last 2 games of the series last year was they were out-physical and played with more energy than the Hawks. Then, in the Bucks home games outside of game one, they completely outplayed the Hawks. That should be something that sticks with the Hawks and they learn from. The Bucks showed them what has to happen to win a championship and be a championship team. Giannis isn't going away and getting better. Jrue Holiday is still going to hound Trae or whoever has the ball, and then you have to control the wild card for the Bucks, Kris Middleton, if you want to get past them. He put daggers in the hearts of Atlanta fans last year. I look at the Bucks as the team where if the Hawks get past them, I believe they are ready for a finals run.

Philadelphia 76ers : The Hawks beat the 76ers in a thrilling 7 game series last playoffs. The thing is though, the Hawks could have easily lost that series. The 76ers have the ultimate mismatch in Joel Embiid, and the Hawks know he is going to get his. The key to the 76ers is stopping everyone else, and it will be interesting to see how the Ben Simmons situation plays out. It is very likely whoever they get back in a trade will fix the offensive issues the 76ers had with Ben in the lineup. Unless, it gets so bad they trade Ben for nothing but, the 76ers could very much indeed be the Hawks toughest challenge this year. This team is ready, and with a year of playoff experience under their belt, the Hawks are going to be confident, especially on the road where they beat the 76ers 3 times including game 7 in Philly.

Brooklyn Nets : The Nets are viewed as the final boss in the Eastern Conference by many. They are favored in many oddsmakers' eyes to win it all. They have what some people consider the best player in the NBA in Kevin Durant. James Harden is a star and one of the best one on one players to ever play. The key for the Nets will be the status of Kyrie Irving currently remaining unvaccinated and not being able to play for the Nets until he does. This could be an advantage for the Hawks. They had 3 great matchups last year in the regular season. A series with the Nets will involve everyone being at their best to match the Nets. Luckily, the Hawks have depth and could be key for them in this series, where they have multiple options to go to outside of Young.

Adam Hagy/NBAE/Getty Images

The Hawks have come into this season themselves speaking about this season almost like a championship or bust year. John Collins in an interview with Chris Kirschner for The Athletic mentioned how he believes the Hawks are "Real Contenders" and truly the Hawks are approaching this season as that. Trae Young said in a live open scrimmage to the fans that the expectation is to go further than last year. Nate McMillian has even spoken in interviews about getting this team ready and prepared to make that long run and what is needed to get there. This 82 game season is going to be important for these Hawks. They can develop championship habits, maintain health, and get the right chemistry with the different lineups and groups. This team loves to play together and adventure together outside the court. That togetherness could play a big part in the success of this team during the season. The year of playoff experience and going deep into the playoffs is also key, the team now understands even more now what they have to do to get back. Then not only get back but go further beyond, they have been battle tested.

This Hawks team and city of Atlanta are roaring and ready to go. They believe this season can be even more special than last and reach the finals. The path will be tough, and there will be ups and downs throughout a long season. This team dealt with the it last year and became stronger because of it, and now they have to do it one more time. The theme hopefully this year won't be injuries and more how the Hawks are taking the league by storm. The city is excited to see how this season unfolds and the heights the Hawks can go. The slogan heading into this season that started last playoffs is believe Atlanta, and that is exactly what this team and city is doing. Buckle up, the 2021-2022 Atlanta Hawks are going to take us for a ride, soar to new heights and hopefully with it ending with a Larry O Brian trophy and the first championship for Atlanta.

( Cover photo credit to : PHOTOGRAPH BY SCOTT CUNNINGHAM/NBAE VIA GETTY IMAGES)

(Photos with @ATLhawks is property of the Atlanta Hawks)