Atlanta Hawks: 5 takeaways from 2017-18 NBA season

With the Atlanta Hawks securing the worst record in the Eastern Conference, here are five things to take out of this rebuilding season in 2017-18.

I’m not going to sugarcoat this: The Atlanta Hawks endured a rough 2017-18 campaign. After 10 consecutive playoff appearances, including a 60-win season in 2014-15, the team decided to tear it down and start from scratch.

Atlanta let veterans Paul Millsap, Thabo Sefolosha and Jose Calderon depart in free agency and replaced them with fringe roster players. Unsurprisingly, the Hawks went from a consistent playoff team to one of the worst in the NBA.

The team was bad, but it wasn’t the complete laughingstock that many thought it would be. The Hawks finished 24-58, but actually underperformed based on their Pythagorean projection (27 wins). They earned some impressive wins throughout the year against the likes of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers and Washington Wizards. Even though they were often overmatched, the Hawks remained competitive, which is a testament to Mike Budenholzer’s coaching.

The Hawks didn’t give the fans (well, the ones that showed up to the arena) much to cheer for, but that doesn’t mean the season was a complete waste of time. There are plenty of things that fans can take away from this season as it relates to next year. In fact, I’ll give you five.