The Atlanta Hawks have built their own little Big 3 through the NBA Draft

The Atlanta Hawks have created their own little Big 3 through the NBA Draft over the last few season

The Atlanta Hawks are like the San Antonio Spurs of the 2007-17 era. Except…without the superstar players or championship achievements. Atlanta has consistently had one of the most well-run organizations in the NBA.

They get into the playoffs, they’re respectable, they have decent players, and they draft alright. Would it be better to be a team that has sucked for a while but had a chip in its history? Maybe, but that depends on your perspective.

Being a north Georgia native I can tell you one thing for sure, we don’t go nearly as hard for the Hawks as we do for the bird gang or dawgs. Really, it’s unfortunate to me. Atlanta is one of the most culturally rich cities in the country and in a decent location with a great market, it’s a shame we haven’t used any of that to attract big names or accrue titles.

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Some people may have gotten a glimmer of hope during the 2014-15 season but come on, we all knew they would not beat LeBron James. That team was my first real year into basketball and consistently keeping up with stats and players. The questionable Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague extensions to turning Kyle Korver and DeMarre Carroll into almost all stars, that team was just fun all around.

You knew that it was temporary though, you knew that roster couldn’t win a chip. Millsap was 30, we knew Teague wasn’t elite, and Korver was just a shooter. I still think it was an important year for fans though, because that was a season that sparked some sense of hope. The team underwent a logo change, implemented a newer offense, and sold a lot of tickets.

It was necessary that the Hawks blow it up, and you had to trust they’d do it right. A team with a less popular name brand has to compete or they could fall off entirely. It’s been two years that they’ve missed the playoffs but I have a feeling that might be it, a two-year rebuild?

That’s one of the quickest turnarounds you’ll see out of a franchise. Starting by drafting John Collins in 2017, we didn’t really have a direction. Little did fans know Collins would become a 20 point per game scorer with a 3 ball. Drafting the undersized mini Steph doesn’t seem like a good bet either, I mean how often do players like that workout? What if he’s just the next Jimmer?

Well, Trae Young kind of looked like it during the month of December but that quickly turned around. Twenty-seven percent usage as a rookie and still one of the most efficient passers in the league, ranking 6th in assist/TO ratio amongst guards with a usage rate greater than 20 percent. He played so well during the back half of the season that he almost caught Luka Doncic in the NBA’s Rookie of the Year race and made Hawks fans think we just might have a star or two on our hands. The fact that they were also able to garner a first round pick this coming draft to get him is just icing on the cake to continue building with.

Moving forward, Atlanta has several pieces to build around and look forward to taking the franchise to the next level. Having mentioned Collins and Young, I can’t leave out Kevin Heurter, or as I prefer to call him Red Rider, had a surprisingly good rookie year. When he was drafted like a lot of fans I said: “who is this guy?”

Apparently, he was someone we should’ve paid attention to and proof the scouting team knows what they’re doing. Starting almost all of the games he played in and managing to shoot a cool 35 percent from deep isn’t bad at all for a rookie campaign. We won’t get ahead of ourselves, but is it possible they have the next Splash Brothers? Trae is a better passer than Steph already, and KH is a better playmaker than Klay with the same shooting and defensive potential…so…no promises, but let’s just watch.

Even if the Hawks Big, or I guess little, 3 do develop consistently and all become all-star caliber players, it’s still going to be a while before they can compete with the best. They may not ever get there with the current roster and the trend toward super teams, so the next step really is to be able to attract top tier free agents.

I can’t see the downside of playing in Atlanta. I know the team isn’t ready yet, but eventually, they will be. And as far as location goes, what’s the issue? Huge market, a quick flight to MIA or NY, huge cultural and brand opportunities, (As if that even matters now with modern communication) what more is needed?

I know they aren’t going to sign KD, or Butler, or Kawhi, or Klay, or any guys like that and that’s fine. This single offseason shouldn’t be the hit or miss year and those guys really out-age this team by too much. But in 2021 guys like AD, PG13, Beal, Giannis, Tatum, and I’m sure others by then, will be free agents.

You have to be able to get guys like that to ever make it to the NBA Finals more than likely, so that should be the focus. I think they have an attractive offer and a roster of fun, agreeable, talented players to pitch, with a top-notch front office to match.

Trae Young for THREEEEEE