8. Atlanta Hawks
Last season: 22-60, 13th in Eastern Conference
Notable additions: De’Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish, Evan Turner, Jabari Parker, Allen Crabbe
Notable subtractions: Kent Bazemore, Dewayne Dedmon, Taurean Prince, Miles Plumlee
The Atlanta Hawks showed improvement across the board as last season progressed and that should continue into the 2019-20 season. They’ve seen some significant turnover in the roster, but with a young core firmly in place, they should be aiming for more growth and potentially a playoff push.
Trae Young is the key to their present and their future, and after a rough start to his rookie season, he played like an established All-Star down the stretch. In 23 games after the All-Star break last season he averaged 24.7 points and 9.2 assists per game as the Hawks went 10-13. That record may not sound overly impressive, but that’s almost half of their season’s win total in a short span of games.
Young is the unquestioned leader for the Hawks, but John Collins isn’t all that far behind as the second in command. The 21-year-old big man showed tremendous growth in his first full season as a starter, putting up almost 20 points per game and providing a good foil in the pick-and-roll for Young’s playmaking.
The Hawks seem to have acknowledged that those two are the centerpieces of their franchise, and have filled out their rotation nicely with complementary players. De’Andre Hunter is a smart defender, something the Hawks were sorely lacking last season, as well as a good spot-up shooter. Evan Turner will ease the playmaking load on Young and run the second unit, while Cam Reddish has the physical tools to be an immediate contributor and the upside to be a future starter.
Losing veteran contributors like Dedmon, Bazemore, and Prince may hurt their playoff chances, but their ceiling continues to rise as Young and Collins continue to develop.