Atlanta Hawks: Who should be part of the long-term core?

The obvious choices

The Hawks are fully committed to their young core of Trae Young, John Collins and Kevin Huerter. All three have shown flashes of brilliance while sharing the court together this season, providing a sense of security tho Atlanta faithful.

Despite winning just 29 games in 2018-19, the Hawks managed to make almost every moment fun and entertaining. From the quadruple overtime game against the Chicago Bulls, to the one point loss in the season finale, this young triumvirate has been putting on an absolute show.

Young struggled through much of the early season but came on to be among the league leaders in statistical production in the final third of the year.

The adjustments that he was able to make offensively are equally impressive and promising for his future development into a franchise cornerstone.

Collins once again is improving his offensive polish after a full offseason of training. He is becoming much more than a highlight reel dunker, much like the path Blake Griffin of the Detroit Pistons is on now.

Adding a three point shot to his arsenal, Collins is becoming a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses because he can take over games on the glass (9.8 rebounds) as well as stretch teams out to open up the lane (34.8 percent from 3-point range).

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Kevin Huerter has been an excellent compliment to these two as the third star. He has come a long way in his rookie season and has already begun to draw comparisons to Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson.

With improving shooting, defense and athleticism, Huerter’s confidence skyrocketed later in the season, taking his level of play along with it.