19. Atlanta Hawks
When the Atlanta Hawks traded for Dejounte Murray last offseason, the overwhelming expectation was that he would create a near-unstoppable duo alongside Trae Young. But that didn’t happen last season. Instead, Murray and Young took a while to mesh. In fact, Young actually had one of the most statistically inefficient seasons of his career this past season playing next to Murray.
It would be unfair to say that Young had a down season because of Murray but it’s also hard to argue against the evidence. The good news is that both players are talented enough that they should be able to turn things around, and probably sooner rather than later. A full season together should be exactly what this duo needs to find its footing.
After trading John Collins, the hope is that Onyeka Okongwu will take a step forward this season. And if the Hawks are going to be a playoff team again this year, you’d imagine that they’re going to need one of their young players or two to step up in a big way.