Atlanta Hawks
2015-16 Record: 48-34, 4th Seed
The Hawks had some serious changes in the offseason, some by choice and some not. They decided on their point guard of the future, shipping Jeff Teague to Indiana and settling in on Dennis Schroder as the presumptive leader of the offense.
It’s a bold move, but certainly not one that wasn’t expected. The team now relies on the spry young guard, and all that comes with him. He’s not nearly as polished offensively as Teague, but defensively will be an improvement. However, losing him off the bench massively depletes the second unit.
The rest of the roster remained relatively intact, minus the complete shift in center. Al Horford bolted for Boston, and the Hawks snatched up Houston’s Dwight Howard to anchor the position. Pairing Howard with Millsap will do some good for Howard offensively and defensively. Howard may provide the rim protection that the Hawks have lacked, but Horford fit this system much better.
Adding a talent like Howard is big, but losing Teague and Horford made this version of the Hawks worse. They are competitive, but are they the best?
Next: Miami Heat