Atlanta Hawks enter 2019-20 looking to build on young core
By Phil Watson
Best-case scenario
Trae Young continues to play much more like post-All-Star-break Trae Young while becoming more dependable with both the ball and his shot selection and the rest of the young core assembled by the Atlanta Hawks takes a significant step forward.
The Hawks at least flirt with playoff contention before settling for a solid improvement over last season’s 29-win total by getting into the mid- to upper 30s in the victory column.
Young becomes a trendy All-Star pick and Kevin Huerter becomes a low-key contender for Most Improved Player, while De’Andre Hunter plays his way into the Rookie of the Year conversation.
Things fall into place nicely for the Hawks to make a big leap forward in 2020-21.
Worst-case scenario
Too many shooters, not enough basketball.
The development of the Atlanta Hawks is stunted a bit by players beginning to grumble about the ball-dominance of Trae Young and their relative lack of touches.
Much like in 2018-19, the Hawks can’t stop anyone and lose a ton of games that are played in the 120s while struggling to match their 29-53 record from a season ago.
Lloyd Pierce finds himself with a divided locker room, a defense that doesn’t work and enters 2020-21 with many more questions than answers as the rebuild finds itself stuck in the mud.