After a surprisingly successful season a year ago, should we expect the Atlanta Hawks to fly high again in 2015-16
With a 100-86 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, the Atlanta Hawks improved to 3-0 during the pre-season thus far. With new jerseys, new court design, and new team additions, will the Atlanta Hawks repeat as the top seed in the East, or was last season a fluke?
If you don’t remember what the Atlanta Hawks accomplished last season, let’s jog your memory. Last season, the Atlanta Hawks accolades were as followed:
- 60 win season
- 19 game win streak
- Four players named All-Stars
- Earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference
- Eastern Conference Finals appearance
It’s safe to say the Atlanta Hawks definitely shocked people last season – and even that would be somewhat of an understatement.
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Although last season was a success, the Hawks lost a vital piece of last year’s group, DeMarre Carroll, to the Toronto Raptors during free agency. Atlanta was forced to choose between Paul Millsap and Carroll, and while that decision was actually quite simple on the surface, the Hawks will certainly miss Carroll.
They have Thabo Sefolosha, and Kent Bazemore to fill his spot, but neither will likely compare to the presence Carroll brought on BOTH ends of the court.
During the off-season, the Atlanta Hawks managed to bring in Tiago Splitter; they needed size, and they got just that when they acquired him from San Antonio. Also, 7-foot-3 big man, Walter Tavares, signed a three-year deal with the Hawks, adding potential rim protection for the team.
Tim Hardaway Jr, and two future picks were acquired during this year’s draft. Although rather streaky, Hardaway Jr. can score, and will likely be the guy giving Kyle Korver a breather this season – for better or worse. Also, new additions of Dequan Jones, Justin Holiday, Terran Petteway, and Lamar Patterson should add some more depth to the Hawks bench, if necessary.
By returning four of five starters, adding some size, and adding depth, it sounds like the Atlanta Hawks should repeat as the East top seed again this season, right? Not quite.
While still not as dominant as the Western Conference, a lot of Eastern Conference teams made improvements this off-season. For instance, the Indiana Pacers got better through free agency by signing Monta Ellis. The real return of Paul George, from injury, won’t hurt the team, either.
In addition, the Milwaukee Bucks are a young team that gained experience by playing well against the Chicago Bulls during the playoffs. That alone will be invaluable this season for Milwaukee. Adding Greg Monroe will give them a nice boost on the offensive end, too.
Due to improvements in the Eastern Conference, I don’t see the Hawks repeating as the Eastern Conference’s regular season top dog. The Hawks should finish as the 3rd or 4th seed, but when it comes to reclaiming the East, the hawk has reached it’s nest.
Next: Analyzing the NBA's biggest off-season overreactions