Atlanta Hawks: 2 Season-defining questions and 1 bold prediction for 2024-25

As we begin to preview the 2024-25 NBA season for the Atlanta Hawks, we explore two season-defining questions and one bold prediction.

The start of the 2024-25 NBA season is nearly here. Teams will begin reporting for training camp in the next few days and in a couple of weeks, pre-season games will be in full swing. As we preview the new NBA campaign, there may not be a team with more questions heading into the season than the Atlanta Hawks. After shaking up its roster a bit this summer, there are still plenty of foundational questions this team has to answer about its future.

Let's explore two season-defining questions and one extremely bold prediction for the Hawks heading into the start of the season.

How ready to contribute will Zaccharie Risacher be this season?

With the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks went with the versatile and dynamic wing Zaccharie Risacher to potentially emerge as a new face for the franchise. Whether that will end up being the right move in the long run remains to be seen. But at least for now, what the Hawks have to be more interested in is how much of a factor he will play for the team this season.

If Risacher is not ready to contribute and if he's an extremely raw prospect, perhaps this team may have to think strongly about their entire blueprint. Even if it was a "down" year for draft prospects, the Hawks have a long hinging on the development and ceiling of Risacher. He's become arguably the most important player on the roster. Where Risacher is in his development will certainly play a strong factor in how this team operates moving forward.