Atlanta Hawks: 5 reasons to be excited for 2019-20 NBA season

Coming off of their second straight losing season in 2018-19, the Atlanta Hawks enter this year with a roster of interesting young players.

Going into the 2018-19 season, most fans expected the Atlanta Hawks to accrue a lot of losses en route to another trip to the ping pong ball soiree in May. On that front, the team lived up to those depressing expectations, finishing with the fifth-worst net rating in the NBA and a 29-53 record.

Despite that and their bottom-10 rankings in offensive and defensive rating, last season laid the foundation for what could become a long, successful era of Hawks basketball. Rookie point guard Trae Young played well enough to quell the critics who were prepared to label him a bust.

Second-year forward John Collins progressed on both ends of the court. Their effective field goal and true shooting percentages were respectable. And as underwhelming as it was, the offense did show some promising signs.

Those glimmers of hope and their subsequent productive offseason has put the Hawks in an interesting spot. The team is too good to be lumped in with such hopeless causes like the New York Knicks or the Charlotte Hornets but they’re still a piece or two away from becoming a threat in the Eastern Conference.

That wonky juxtaposition has made the Hawks one of the more intriguing teams for the 2019-20 season. Much like last year, they’ll experience their lumps, but there’s plenty to be excited about if you’re a Hawks fan.