Atlanta Hawks: 5 predictions for the 2018-19 NBA season

After starting the rebuilding process last year, the Atlanta Hawks come into this season with a new coach and some fresh newcomers. How will they fare?

Between 2007-17, the Atlanta Hawks served as the perfect metaphor for the mediocre Eastern Conference. Sure, the team reached the playoffs in each of those seasons during that span, but nobody truly saw them as a legitimate championship contender.

In that 10-year bubble, the Hawks won 50 or more games just twice (most notably an anomalous 60-win year in 2014-15) and only reached the Eastern Conference Finals once — where they were swiftly steamrolled by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015.

After spending a decade stuck in a Groundhog Day-esque cycle of forgettable basketball, the Hawks front office, led by new general manager Travis Schlenk, elected to blow up the roster and start from scratch.

This, of course, led to a lot of losses last season — 58 to be exact — but it allowed the front office to nab a top lottery pick and draft a potential future star.

With a young roster, a new head coach, and some new pieces joining the team via trade and free agency, fans should expect another rough season in Atlanta this year. Specifically, these are some of the likeliest scenarios that will play out in 2018-19.