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

2. They will be bad again

Almost every pundit and analyst worth their weight has predicted that the Hawks will once again finish either near or at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. the general logic behind these predictions seems pretty sound: they are a young team and young teams that aren’t the Boston Celtics tend to struggle with consistency.

It’s easy to make jokes about how weak the East is, but which teams other than the Cavs have gotten significantly worse? The Celtics are better based solely on Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward‘s clean bill of health.

The Toronto Raptors jettisoned their mid-range loving star for one of the top three players in the sport. The Philadelphia 76ers are still good. So are the Washington Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat (especially if they get Jimmy Butler).

The Chicago Bulls will be better, as will the Detroit Pistons. Exactly which of those teams are the Hawks better than?

Even in a slightly depressed East, the Hawks will lose much more than they win. That’s fine for now, particularly because …