There is a lot of hope for the Atlanta Hawks going forward. They are a young team with a lot of talent and potential. Last season it was injuries to several key players that held them back, but they’re ready to go this season. Let’s take a look at how much potential the Atlanta Hawks have as they start the 2019-2020 NBA season.
Key Additions: De’Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish, Jabari Parker, Evan Turner
The Hawks were busy this past offseason by adding young talent to go along with the other young talent they already had. The addition of De’Andre Hunter will be a big one, as he will instantly come into the starting lineup and provide both a scoring and defensive boost. In the case of Cam Reddish, his first year will be more of a developmental year Along with getting used to the speed of the NBA, as he only played for one season at Duke. However, he is a very good addition both scoring wise and athletically. The addition of Jabari Parker is curious. He has not been the prospect he was projected to be coming out of college and has been inconsistent ever since. However, he will be good for the Hawks as it gives them depth and youth. With adding Evan Turner, the Hawks will more than likely use him to come off the bench and potentially play in a backup point guard role.
Key Departures: Dewayne Dedmon, Kent Bazemore, Taurean Prince,
All three of these departures are equally hurtful to the team. All three provided scoring, as they averaged double digit points on the season. And in all three you also lose athleticism and toughness. The loss of Dedmon hurts a little more as the team does not have much depth at center behind Alex Len.
Potential Starting Lineup: Trae Young, Kevin Huerter, De’Andre Hunter, John Collins, Alex Len
The Hawks are a young team, so their starting lineup could change all the time to see who plays well with who and in what position. I expect Trae young to have an all star caliber season. Kevin Huerter and John Collins will both improve as the season goes along. De’Andre Hunter will come in a provide a much needed defensive boost, as the Hawks lacked that all last season. And with Alex Len, he is a very consistent big man. However, if he goes down there is no depth behind him so I expect the team to go out and sign or trade for a center sometime early in the season. I think the ceiling for this team is the 7th seed in the east as they are still a young, developing team. That could also be the downfall as they can be young and inconsistent. That coupled with lack of a defensive presence will be the reason they are a lottery team next season.
