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Critical offseason awaits the Hawks

After not being invited to the 22-game tournament season the Atlanta Hawks 2019-20 campaign is over. Atlanta was expected to make a push for the postseason, but finished well short. 

On the surface the Hawks are one the most talented teams to watch. Trae Young found his stride and became the first All-Star starter for the Hawk since Dikembe Mutumbo in 1998. Young finished with 29 ppg and 36% from deep. He is becoming the superstar the franchise desperately needs and he has a great supporting cast.

Another player that stands out is John Collins.  Collin’s suspension showed how vital he was to the team in his absence, going 4-27 in 31 games. Collins had his best season with 21 ppg and 10 rebounds a game. He and Trae form a talented duo that could make the playoffs.

Atlanta’s rookies improve throughout the season. DeAndre Hunter drafted out Virginia provided a surprising offensive upside while being drafted for his defense. He had an impressive slash line and he will grow as a defensive wing player. 

The other first rounder, Cam Reddish, had a rough start, but by March found his groove. He scored 17 ppg in March and his defense began to shine. While on the surface his stats may seem underwhelming he had  a strong end averaging 16.1 points a game by the time play was suspended. 

However, the Hawks will be under pressure in 2020. They failed to make that leap in 2019 and in 2020 will be close to a playoff or bust scenario. 

They traded for Houston  Rockets’ center Clint Capela which will give them a defender and much needed experience. In 2018, Capela averaged nearly 13 points a game and nearly defeated Kevin Durant and the mighty Golden State Warriors. His best quality was his defence, as he collected 36 blocks in that series alone against the Warriors. 

Head coach Lloyd Pierce will also be under the microscope and will need to make a major leap in wins next season. While coaches on young teams do get a degree of leeway, but with the current roster that leeway is now gone for Pierce. Playing in an extremely weak conference only exacerbates the pressure for Hawks to reach the playoffs. With other young teams like the Grizzlies, Pelicans and Magic making the playoffs, Pierce has no excuse for another 20-win season. 

Atlanta has $43M in cap space for the offseason and could be big spenders. However, with the free agent being underwhelming I wouldn’t be surprised if Atlanta doesn’t make big moves in preparation for the stacked 2021 FA class led by Giannis Atentokumpo.

The Hawks for the draft will likely have a top-eight pick following the NBA draft lottery. Atlanta needs help on defense and another shot creator. Auburn’s Isaac Okoro is a high-level defender the Hawks need and could help be a disruptor for the Hawks on defense. The Hawks were one of the worst defensive teams with giving up 115 points per 100 possessions this past season. 

The Hawks could go after offense, they could choose Lamelo Ball from Australia and has been playmaker for his team. Ball in Australia played for the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League and took the league by storm in 2019.  In a perfect world Ball and Trae could be Atlanta’s splash brothers, but both are ball dominant and would be hard to co-exist. However, the Hawks need another playmaker and Lamelo could be the answer. 

Whatever choice they make next season is pivotal for the Hawks. Without a big leap from last season the team will be forced to make some big changes. With players like Trae Young and John Collins the team has the talent, but it remains to be seen if they can put it all together. 

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