I kind of figured that this would have been the case since this season started, but I didn’t think that it would be THIS fun to watch. Right now, the Hawks are 4-1, with their only loss being a 145-141 loss to the Brooklyn Nets, and even that was one of those games where you take it as a moral win. This young and upcoming Atlanta Hawks team was able to take a full-strength Nets team down to the wire, and then two days later they were able to take the same Nets team and beat them by 18 points. They have quickly become a League Pass can’t miss team regardless of who your favorite team is.
I think the Hawks are doing a lot of things right to get off to this hot start, and it all starts with the progression of Trae Young. Young, so far, is having the season that a lot of people, myself included, thought that Luka Doncic would be having in Dallas. We all knew that Young could shoot the lights out of the ball when given the chance, but it seems like he’s really taken his game to a new level. The stats don’t technically say that; he’s averaging only one more point than last year, his assists are down, his free throw attempts are up, but his steals are significantly down. His box score stats are, at the very least, a mixed bag. What I can say is that it looks like Young is becoming more comfortable with who he is as a player. Much like other great point guards in the league, when he is on the floor, the other players play harder, cut harder, try to get open, and they run the floor because they know that Young will find them in good positions. He is the engine of this team, and when he’s playing well, the Hawks are a Ferrari.
John Collins has been playing really well this season too. Is it because he’ll be entering restricted free agency this year? Probably. Collins is averaging 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game in just 25 minutes per game. Say what you want, but players are always looking at their next contract, and Collins is putting on a show for someone. At this point, its most likely going to be a different team than Atlanta, but of course the Hawks can match any contract that Collins could sign this next offseason.
Bogdan Bogdanovic is an interesting pick up for the Hawks. After playing for the miserable Kings, and after the failed sign-and-trade to the Bucks, I wasn’t quite sure how it would all play out for the Hawks, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised. He’s averaging basically 14 points on 40/40/90 shooting splits. Yes, there are some games where he doesn’t show up, like the two times this season that he’s only been able to put up 7 points, but the other three outings have been at least 15 points. He seems more comfortable playing off the bench, mostly because when Young and Collins are on the floor, the only shots that Bogdanovic gets are corner threes or passes out of double teams. When coming off the bench, he has been a much needed pick up for the Hawks.
I’ve been a fan of the Capela pick up since it happened for a lot of reasons. He doesn’t take shots away from Young and Collins, he doesn’t need plays ran for him, he plays within his role, and he is such a consistent rebounder and decent shot blocker. With all the firepower that the Hawks have, it’s good to have a player that doesn’t need shots to make an impact on the floor. Kevin Huerter has been a good role player for the Hawks: he shoots when open, he tries to make the right play, he plays good defense, and he has the ability to have a big night when needed.
The Hawks have other good role players on their roster like Rajon Rondo, Cam Reddish, and Danilo Gallinari who just make the right plays. Rondo and Gallo are savvy vets that know where to be and know how to make the most of their minutes, and Reddish is a young buck who seems to have found himself in the right situation for his career thus far.
I don’t know many Hawks fans, drop a comment if you are one of those, but I do think that this Atlanta team has some potential. I think they make the playoffs, and depending on the matchup, they might be able to pull an upset, only time will tell. No matter the results of this postseason, I think the Hawks have an incredibly bright future, and I think that we’re all in for a treat for the future.
Round The Game 
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