The Atlanta Hawks’ victory Wednesday night over the New York Knicks in Madison
Square Garden was their sixth win in their last seven games after a slow start to the
season. The win sends the Hawks to Las Vegas, where they will face the Milwaukee
Bucks on Saturday. Overall, the team’s play over the last two weeks has provided a lot
to be excited about.
Atlanta failed to build on its run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021. They
produced mediocre court results and wound up in the play-in tournament each year. In
two of those years, Atlanta qualified for the playoffs and lost in the first round. Last year,
they missed the playoffs altogether.
This past offseason, the Hawks were at a crossroads. They could not rebuild since they
traded three of their future firsts to San Antonio for Dejounte Murray, losing control of
their first-round picks in 2025, 2026 (pick swap), and 2027. Likewise, trade rumors
surrounding all-star point guard Trae Young had reached a fever peak and included
teams such as the Lakers, Heat, and Spurs.
Landry Fields, now in his second full season as the team’s general manager, knew that
he had to retool the roster. Fields received unprecedented luck in May, winning the NBA
Draft Lottery despite having a three percent chance of doing so. With the first pick, they
selected forward Zaccharie Risacher first overall.
The attention then turned to the Young/Murray backcourt. While talented, they were not
a strong fit together. Murray was dealt to New Orleans in exchange for two first-round
picks, Larry Nance Jr., and Dyson Daniels. Trading for Nance, along with resigning Vit
Krejci and acquiring David Roddy in a deal with the Suns, provided the Hawks with
much-needed depth and countered losing Bruno Fernando, Trent Forest, and Saddiq
Bey (who suffered a season-ending injury last March before eventually signing with the
Wizards).
Expectations for the Hawks were understandably low entering this season, as they were
projected to win around 37 games. Despite signature wins against the Celtics and
Knicks, the low expectations were justified through the team’s first 18 games. The
Hawks started 7-11 and had lost winnable games to the Trail Blazers, Wizards (twice),
Pistons, and Bulls. The Hawks had also lost to a Mavericks team missing Luka Doncic
and Klay Thompson. However, Atlanta kicked off a six-game win streak by picking up
two consecutive wins against the Cavaliers, who own the best record in the NBA. They
followed that up by beating the Hornets, Pelicans, a red-hot Bucks team, and the
Lakers, thanks to a 31-point, 20-assist effort from Young, which included a
game-winning three-point shot in overtime.
There’s a lot to like about these young Hawks lately, as a plethora of players have
contributed to the team’s sudden turnaround. Young continues to refine his game and
grow as a leader. His defensive effort has improved in recent seasons, and despite his
early-season struggles from the field, he is constantly getting others involved, leading
the league in assists. Young’s growth has improved the flow of Atlanta’s offense, as the
team ranks third in assists, averaging 30 per game. DeAndre Hunter, a former fourth
overall pick in 2019, has finally found his role in Atlanta, coming off the bench, and is
putting together a strong case for Sixth Man of the Year honors. Hunter is averaging 19
points per game, shooting 49 percent from the field. Forward Jalen Johnson, Atlanta’s
first-round pick in 2021, continues to develop into a franchise cornerstone and has a
strong chance of being selected to his first career All-Star Game in February. Risacher
continues to make strides, most notably scoring 31 points in a home win against the
Knicks earlier this season.
Most notably, the Hawks have shown a drastic improvement in team defense, which
was Atlanta’s primary issue the past three play-in seasons. Even though Atlanta is 28th
in points surrendered per game, they are fourth in opponent turnovers per game and
have possessed the second-lowest defensive rating in the league during this recent
stretch. Likewise, Atlanta’s three-point defense has improved. After allowing their
opponents to shoot nearly 40 percent from downtown during their first 18 games of the
season, that conversion rate has decreased to 32.6 percent in the last five games. The
team’s improvement on that end of the floor is thanks in large part to Daniels, who leads
the league in steals per game and has changed the defensive outlook of this Hawks
team. Daniels, thanks to his efforts, received Defensive Player of the Month honors for
November and is now a front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year.
This past offseason, the Atlanta Hawks elected to build around their star point guard
while emphasizing player development simultaneously. Contrary to previous team
leadership, they have a coaching staff led by Quin Snyder and a front office led by
Landry Fields, who prioritize developing and getting the most out of the team’s arsenal
of young talent. The season is still young for the now 14-12 Hawks, and there is no
telling exactly how this season will end for them. Even so, the Hawks have a sense of
direction after being stuck in neutral for the past couple of years, potentially giving the
team a strong foundation to build off of, or as Fields calls it: Hawks DNA.