4 lottery teams likely to make the NBA Playoffs next season
By Ryan Piers
2. Atlanta Hawks
Like the Bulls, the Atlanta Hawks benefit from being a young team in the shallower conference. Unlike the Bulls, Atlanta competes in the worst division in the NBA.
The Southeast Division is ripe for the taking. The Heat probably regress following the departure of Dwyane Wade. The Orlando Magic are a solid team that lacks star power. The Charlotte Hornets have tons of questions. The Washington Wizards are a train wreck.
Enter the Hawks, the team with the highest ceiling and most young talent. In any other division, they are at least another away from playoff discussion. But the Southeast Division went 178-229 last year. Horrible.
The most notable piece is Trae Young, who could win Rookie of the Year. John Collins nearly doubled his scoring average from his rookie season, putting up 19.5 points per contest while hauling in 9.8 rebounds a night. Kevin Huerter blossomed into a legitimate 3-point threat. Other role players progressed.
Hawks reportedly ‘looking to unload’ at least one draft pick in trade https://t.co/dtHwJMOFEi
— Peachtree Hoops (@peachtreehoops) May 20, 2019
The Hawks played all right to close out the year, going 5-5 over the last 10 games and after the 6-23 start, went 23-30 the rest of the way.
Young talent plus a weak division is usually an equation for success. We’ll see if it holds true for Atlanta this season.