Hawks Soar Into New Season
For years, the Atlanta Hawks have not been taken seriously. From the days of “Iso Joe” Johnson and Josh Smith in the late 2000s to the 60-win team that played perfect team basketball in 2015, nobody has ever considered the Hawks to be a real threat. Even during their impressive playoff run last year, analysts, journalists, and TV hosts alike didn’t hesitate to express their doubt. Now, that’s changing.
Starting in last year’s first round, the Atlanta Hawks beat the New York Knicks 4-1, blowing the Knicks out for the final three games of the series. The most important part of the series was Trae Young. Trae Young won a lot of people over during this series as he fully embraced the villain role that the Knicks fans placed upon him. As Game 1 of the series started, Knicks fan began chanting, “F*** Trae Young!” In spite of this hatred, Trae hit a game-winning shot to ice over Game 1, then looked at the crowd (and at Spike Lee sitting in his signature front-row seat) and yelled back, “It’s quiet as f*** in here!” With that one shot, Trae Young became a star. Many had their doubts about Young as a winning player – including myself – but upon seeing him flourish under the taunting and pressure of a playoff game in Madison Square Garden, all his doubters were not only proved wrong, but forced to admit it. The series had a perfect ending (if you’re a Hawks fan). As the Knicks fans realized that Game 5 was over, and that Atlanta would win the series, they began to applaud their team for a great season. But in one last moment of glory, Trae Young shot and made a step-back three-point shot from about eight feet behind the line, then turned to the booing crowd and took a bow.
Then, in the Conference Semifinals, the Hawks beat the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games. Trae Young continued his dominance in Game 1 of the series, scoring 35 points as the Hawks stole a game from the Sixers. The two main storylines that came from this series were Ben Simmons and Games 4 and 5 of the series. The Ben Simmons storyline is still ongoing; his shortcomings against the Hawks seemed to be the breaking point for him. In Game 4, the Hawks overcame an impressive 18-point deficit to win the game, but Game 5 of the series was one of the defining moments of this young Hawks team. During the third quarter, the Hawks trailed by 26 points, one of the largest deficits in NBA Playoff history. But the Hawks came back and won. The main reason they were able to make the historic comeback was their lineup flexibility and playstyle. In the second half, they had to score a lot and fast, so they substituted in some of their quick scorers: Lou Williams, Danillo Gallinari, and Kevin Huerter. Atlanta was able to quickly hit three-pointers and get stops, and within five minutes, it was a ten point game. The Hawks have taken advantage of the fast-paced play style of today, allowing them to erase large deficits with ease, something we’ve rarely ever seen.
The Eastern Conference Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks had a similar start to the previous series. Trae Young had 48 points and dished out 11 assists in Game 1. The rest of the series did not go Atlanta’s way. Between 2-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and sharpshooter Khris Middleton, the Hawks were outmatched. In two separate games, Middleton’s scoring ability was unhindered by the underwhelming defense Atlanta threw at him. I do believe, however, that if the Hawks had more of their players, they would have had a better chance. The team’s best defender, Deandre Hunter, was out because of a knee injury, but if he was healthy, it is likely that he would’ve been able to stop, or at least slow down Middleton’s heroics. Moreover, Trae Young missed the final two games of the series after injuring his ankle by stepping on a ref’s foot.
The big takeaway from last year’s playoffs is that Trae Young is a star. Trae averaged just under 30 points per game and 9.5 assists throughout his first playoffs. He’s just getting started, and “Ice Trae” (the nickname Quavo created for him) is already playing at an elite level. He’s not a superstar yet – as much as I love the Hawks, I can admit that he’s not on the same level as superstars like Kevin Durant or LeBron James – but Trae has established himself as a first-class player in the League, and effectively put the Hawks back on the map.
The Hawks’ playoff accomplishments last year forced many to finally take note. But now, they have to pay attention. The team accomplished all of that without many of their key players. Several of their wing players missed large portions of the season. Deandre Hunter got out to a great start at the beginning of last year. Through the first 18 games, he averaged 18 points per game and was a great defensive presence for a team that was otherwise lacking. Unfortunately, he had nagging knee issues that kept him from playing the overwhelming majority of the season. Cam Reddish had a lingering achilles injury, and Bogdan Bogdanovic had consistent knee issues that kept both from playing, respectively. Reddish did show glimpses of hope towards the end of the Playoffs when he was able to return; he scored 21 points on 6 three-pointers. Meanwhile, Bogdanovic, while his knee issues were still very present, was a consistent threat from distance throughout the end of the season.
Having all of these guys back adds an unparalleled amount of depth to the Hawks lineup. At the point guard position, the Hawks have Trae Young and Lou Williams. Then, at the wing positions, the Hawks have several players that can play multiple positions. At 6’7’’, Kevin Huerter could play point guard, shooting guard, or small forward. Reddish and Bogdanovic could play either wing position, and Hunter can play both wings as well as power forward if the team needed.
The Hawks also have a really solid frontcourt. Center Clint Capela is returning. Capela had a great regular season last year; he was one of the League’s best defenders and led the League in rebounds. Capela’s backup is second-year player Onyeka Okongwu. Okongwu had a lot of trouble staying healthy his rookie year, and he’ll be out until about December this year, but when he did play, he was a great presence on the floor. His most notable moments came in the Eastern Conference Finals, when, surprisingly, he was able to hold his own against Giannis Antetokounmpo. I must say, “hold his own” is relative; nobody has been able to stop Giannis, he’s the most dominant player we’ve seen in the last 20 years, but Okongwu was able to “slow him down.” Many thought Giannis would be able to do whatever he wanted when Onyeka was on the floor, but he ended up holding Giannis to only 10 rebounds per game. After continuous contract disputes last year, forward John Collins resigned on a 5-year, $125 million deal. Collins continued his growth last year; he has become one the Hawks’ best and most popular players, behind Trae Young, of course. His biggest moment came in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, when he dunked on Joel Embiid. Embiid is a star for the Sixers who is known for his dominance on the court, as well as his constant trash talk off the court.
Throw in some draft picks and veteran signings and the Hawks have put together a strong team. There is depth at every position which allows Atlanta to have a flexibility not many teams have. The Hawks have set themselves up for a great season and the potential for a deep playoff run.
I also must mention the coaching of the Hawks. Last year, the team started off 14-20, with Lloyd Pierce as Head Coach. In early March, Pierce was fired, and Nate McMillan was promoted to Head Coach. Since McMillan’s promotion, the team went an incredible 27-11. Personally, I didn’t have the dislike for Pierce that so many Hawks fans did, but clearly, McMillan was the better coach for the team. So having McMillan for the whole year, rather than just the second half, will most definitely improve the franchise.
While it may be cliché for NBA stars to talk about how high their expectations are for their team, or that they’ll only be satisfied with a championship, it feels different with Atlanta. Both of the Hawks’ young stars (Young and Collins) have been adamant all summer about this exactly. Earlier this week in an interview, Trae said, “but that’s only making it to the conference finals. That’s not the end goal for anybody. For us, we’re not satisfied. We want more.” Don’t take that as the typical NBA star just saying the right thing. It’s different with the Hawks, and they need to be taken seriously. It’s different because the NBA has never seen a team that’s so young and flexible, a team that can erase 26-point leads like it’s nothing, a team that has been building a dynasty, under everybody’s radar, for years. The difference is that for the Hawks, it's starting to become real.
By Daniel Rosen