Atlanta Hawks Hopes for the Season
Formed in 1946 as the Buffalo Bisons, the Atlanta Hawks have been regulars in the National Basketball Association ever since. The team has produced some competitive rosters in previous years, and their biggest success came in 1958 when they claimed their only national championship to date.
The list of greatest names from Hawks history includes Pete Maravich, Al Horford, Trae Young, Lou Hudson and Dominique Wilkins. They boast a proud history, but how does the current Atlanta roster shape up, and what can fans expect from the new NBA season?
Hawks Hoping
A positive start to the 2023/24 NBA campaign saw the Hawks win two of their opening three games. It was an encouraging beginning for Head Coach Quin Snyder and his team, and those results saw them installed as early leaders in the Eastern Conference South-East division.
Despite the positivity surrounding the State Farm Arena right now, the Hawks are not among the fancied teams for the NBA Championship. According to the latest NBA odds, the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks are joint favorites to win the pennant, with the closest challenges likely to come from the Phoenix Suns, the Denver Nuggets and the Golden State Warriors.
In contrast, the Atlanta Hawks are way down among the underdogs so, with that independent judgment in mind, what are the realistic expectations?
Last Season Recap
Across the 82-game regular season in 2022/23, the Atlanta Hawks finished with a 50% record. Results were split right down the middle with 41 games won and 41 lost. That return saw the team finish second in the South East Division, behind Miami Heat.
This was a turbulent campaign as the management used three Head Coaches throughout the season. Nate McMillan began in the hot seat, but he was fired in February with the team sitting on a 39-40 record.
Joe Prunty briefly served as the interim head coach before Quin Snyder was appointed on a full time basis on February 26. Snyder maintained a similar record to his predecessors, but it was enough to take the Hawks into the PlayIn round.
A place in the playoffs was assured when Atlanta beat Miami, but the Hawks went down 4-2 in the first Playoff game at the hands of a strong Boston Celtics unit.
For the Hawks’ most productive campaign in recent history, we have to go back to 2021 when they finished the campaign as Divisional Champions. From there, the team progressed all the way to the Conference Finals where they lost out to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Atlanta have sometimes struggled to compete with a strong Miami Heat team in their own section. The Eastern Conference South East division isn’t the easiest in the association, so who are the players who need to step up and take the Hawks deep into this year’s competition?
Key Men in the Roster
Like most NBA teams, the Atlanta Hawks were busy in the offseason, with trades and drafts in place to boost their playing personnel. Among the new arrivals, many NBA experts feel that the Hawks’ best piece of business was to tie Dejounte Murray to a new four-year deal.
Shooting Guard Murray arrived in Atlanta after leaving the San Antonio Spurs in 2022. Hawks fans have yet to see the best of him, but he’s an All-Star player, and is tipped to get back to those levels this season.
At the 2023 NBA draft, Atlanta’s first pick saw the arrival of Kobe Bufkin from Michigan. The guard enjoyed a solid college career, and he was backed by the later acquisitions of Mouhamed Gueye and Seth Lundy.
In terms of trades, the Hawks have been relatively quiet. Coach Snyder seems satisfied with the majority of the roster that closed out last season, and he’s trusted them to deliver a positive campaign. There is a feeling that there isn’t too much wrong with the players at Atlanta and only some minor tweaks were needed in the offseason.
With that roster in place and the regular NBA season underway, what can this franchise realistically achieve?
Targets for 2024
The minimum target for Quin Snyder and his current Atlanta Hawks roster is to make it through to the postseason. With a settled team and a bright start to the campaign, that remains a legitimate aim. This was achieved last term, so the management are unlikely to accept anything less.
Stability will be essential and, after working through three head coaches last term, supporters will want to see Snyder given a whole season with the team.
Whether they can go deeper into the playoffs is less clear. There are some improvements to the roster and that strong opening gives fans hope. Firstly, that playoff slot is a must, and the Atlanta Hawks will have then laid a solid platform to improve in 2024 and beyond.