New York Knicks: You’re relevant again!
The NBA is better when the Knicks are involved and that was certainly the case last season. Playoff games in Madison Square Garden are as good as any arena in the league, and we should get more of those this season.
The Knicks went out and got Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier to help provide a scoring punch to a team that struggled in the playoffs to consistently generate good offense, and also get Mitchell Robinson back from injury to anchor their defense. They didn’t do enough to jump into the top tier of the Eastern Conference, but competing again for a 4 or 5 seed in the playoffs is certainly possible for this group.
Atlanta Hawks: Experience matters
The Hawks proved everyone wrong last year and went all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals after taking out the 76ers and simultaneously burning Philadelphia’s team chemistry to the ground. Playing in those big games is a huge confidence boost and there’s a tangible effect on the way the team plays.
Atlanta brings all of their core pieces back from last year’s team and also gets De’Andre Hunter back from injury – a huge addition to their already talented group of wing players. Atlanta may not get to another Eastern Conference Finals because of all the good teams in the East, but they’re a better team than they were a year ago.