The Atlanta Hawks finished the regular season going 20-6 after the All-Star break and looking like one of the most impressive teams in the NBA. The trades for CJ McCollum and Jonatha Kuminga, as well as their new identity as a defensive first team, transformed this group, and they entered into the postseason as a popular pick to pull a first round upset against whichever team they played. With their young core of players and potentially a top-four pick in a stacked draft class, the future looked bright in Atlanta, especially when they were up 2-1 against the Knicks just one week ago.
These last three games to close the series out have brought everything into question now, especially the product that was put on the court in game six, which should go down as the most embarrassing result in the history of the franchise.
Atlanta trailed by nearly 50 points heading into halftime, and for the third straight game, they were out-hustled and lost the physicality and intensity battle to the Knicks. Atlanta players had vowed to get that corrected going into game six, a win-or-go-home situation on their home court, but it ended with a result that should put everything in question going forward.
What now?
| Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Losing the series to the Knicks is not shocking in and of itself. The Hawks were the underdogs coming into it and had far less playoff experience and talent than New York did. The Knicks were just two wins away from the NBA Finals last season and were a popular pick to get to last round heading into the postseason.
But this was expected to be a tough, hard fought series and after game three, the Hawks had a 2-1 series lead. The rest of the series turned into a complete wipeout by New York. They won game four by 16, game five by 29, and then you had tonight’s result. This series is going to put a huge damper on whatever enthusiasm the Hawks had about what they did this season.
It is not just this result either. If you zoom out and take a look at the series, the Hawks wins were by a combined two points on late heroics from CJ McCollum and the four New York wins were as decisive as playoff games can be. There was no doubt who the better team was and the gap that the Hawks have right now between the real contenders in the NBA is enormous.
To be fair to the Hawks, this season should still be considered largely a success. They came into the year expecting to compete for a playoff spot and top four seed, but that was when they had Trae Young and Kristaps Porzingis. That version of the team never got a chance due to injuries and Atlanta pivoted midway through the year by moving Young, Porzingis, and Luke Kennard (who has been great with the Lakers in the playoffs) at the deadline. While the schedule did get easier after the All-Star break, a 20-6 run is impressive and the Hawks looked very good.
Atlanta has four guys that they should feel good about, with Jalen Johnson (likely an All-NBA season), Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, and Onyeka Okongwu having strong seasons and they are all very good players, with Alexander-Walker winning Most Improved Player and Johnson becoming a first-time All-Star.
That is not to say that these players don’t have questions.
After an incredible season, Johnson had about as bad of a playoff series as you can get. It was his first playoff series as the No. 1 guy, but it was just a poor showing in every game. There is no need to panic about him, but this needs to be a learning experience moving forward.
The Hawks have some big decision to make though, especially regarding the futures of CJ McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga. McCollum is an unrestricted free agent while Kuminga has a $24 million player option for next season. They were both big parts of why the Hawks were able to win games two and three, but they may not have shown enough in this series to be brought back. McCollum is 34 years old and Kuminga, while talented, is one of the most inconsistent players in the NBA and did not always mesh with what the Hawks currently have. I don’t think the Hawks are going to just let Kuminga walk by any means, but do they give him an extension? Do they pick up the option and trade him? Do they pick up the option and let the season play itself out and determine that next summer?
Two other players to watch include Zaccharie Risacher and Corey Kispert. The former No. 1 pick has been a lightning rod in discussions about the team and is playing very little and has not shown much development in the first two seasons. Do the Hawks try and trade him now and get a little value back? His future with the team seems like it might be in doubt.
Kispert has three years remaining on his contract and given how poorly he played on defense and was ineffective for most games, Atlanta could try and dump his contract somewhere if they can find any takers. It is not a horrible contract (just $13 million next season), but I don’t think it is positive value.
Atlanta can also move on from Buddy Hield’s contract before the NBA draft.
Hoping for Lottery luck
The next big date for the Hawks is going to be on May 10th, the day of the NBA Draft Lottery. The Hawks own an unprotected 2026 first round pick that is the most favorable of the Pelicans (7th in draft odds) and the Bucks (10th in draft odds). While not getting too carried away, this draft class is one of the most anticipated and deepest in recent memory. If the Hawks can add someone like AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, Caleb Wilson, Kingston Flemings, Keaton Wagler, or others, it would be great for this group.
It is fair to say that jumping into the top four and possibly getting the No. 1 pick could be franchise changing for Atlanta.
The Hawks also hold the No. 23 pick and the No. 57 pick in this draft.
Extension for Snyder?
Head coach Quin Snyder reportedly only has one more year left on his deal, and according to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Hawks want to extend him and keep as the coach.
This game aside, I do think that Snyder has done a really good job with this group this season and that is the right move. Tonight was a disaster, but he got the most out of a group that was almost out of the play-in tournament picture just four months ago.
Overall
This was a horrible night for the franchise and a tough way to close out the season in these final three games after going up 2-1 on New York.
Atlanta should still feel good about the direction this team is heading, but there are some things to figure out. The lottery is going to be the first domino to fall, and then the free agency decisions will need to be made.
An awful way to end a fun season for the Hawks and now the work begins to improve on the work they did.
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