Hawks Season Grades: Atlanta Is Building a Contender Despite First-Round Loss to Knicks

The Hawks entered the season in a bit of a strange middle ground. The previous years had been focused entirely on building around Trae Young, but his time as the centerpiece of the franchise seemed to be on its last legs following multiple injury-riddled seasons and a breakout campaign from Jalen Johnson. Yet Johnson had injury problems of his own, Young’s contract seemed unmoveable and even if they could trade Young, the next step for Atlanta from there didn’t feel totally clear.

With all of those question marks coming into the season, the Hawks are certainly happy with how things played out. After a (mostly) competitive six-game series loss to the Knicks in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Hawks should be seen as one of the rising teams in the league. They have the bones of a legitimate contender with a roster featuring the all-encompassing offensive talents of Jalen Johnson, the all-encompassing defensive talents of Dyson Daniels and the excellent two-way play of Nickeil Alexander-Walker. It’s not a complete team quite yet, but GM Onsi Saleh has given Atlanta no reason to doubt him after several in-season trades paid off big-time.

This season could end up transformational for the franchise. They picked a direction by trading Young and leaning into the team’s young core. To say that looks like the right move is an understatement. The Hawks are one of the most exciting young teams in the NBA.

With the season now fully behind them, however, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty and grade how the year went in Atlanta.

Regular season: A-

Atlanta Hawk — The Hawks won 46 games this season, their highest total in eight years. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

There was a ton to like about the Hawks’ regular season.

First, we begin with the front office. Saleh officially pulled the plug on the Young era after the former All-Star point guard got hurt (again) to start the season. Initially there were questions when he was shipped off to Washington in exchange for the Corey Kispert-CJ McCollum duo and zero other assets besides. But it was important for the franchise to move forward from its former star, moreso than hanging on to his talents as long as possible in hopes of maximizing a return. Saleh recognized this and should be commended; moreover McCollum ended up an incredible addition who gave Atlanta its most exciting playoff moments since 2021.

That trade was a big enough win that his second midseason transaction might go under-appreciated. But not here. Over the summer Saleh landed Kristaps Porziņģis, basically for free, from the Celtics. But it quickly became clear that wasn’t going to pan out as the big man’s career-long availability issue reared its head again. So he sent him to the Warriors in exchange for distressed asset Jonathan Kuminga, who also stepped up in the postseason with some electrifying plays. Even if the Hawks don’t retain him once he hits free agency this summer, Saleh once again turned a net zero into a positive for his team. Tremendous work all around.

On the court, there was great improvement from the key members of the roster. Johnson took another step forward as a creator in his age-24 season and earned his first All-Star nod as a result. Alexander-Walker proved to be one of the best free agent signings we’ve seen in recent memory; initially inked as backcourt help to provide defense off the bench, he instead became one of the best two-way guards in the NBA. Onyeka Okongwu proved up to the challenge in his first full year as the starting center, giving the Hawks another young piece in the starting lineup.

As a result of all that and some solid coaching from Quin Snyder, Atlanta won 46 games, its highest win total since 2016. It was a revitalizing year for the franchise and one that will serve as the foundation for the future.

It wasn’t all perfect, though. Daniels took a bit of a step back as a scorer, which isn’t ideal considering he wasn’t starting from a very good place on that front. McCollum’s play has been fun but the Hawks’ reliance on his scoring is a bit worrying considering he’s not getting any better at 34 years old. The biggest disappointment of the year is Zaccharie Risacher, however. The No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft took a step back from his O.K. rookie season and wound up iced out of any meaningful moments, including the playoffs. It’s looking more and more like the Hawks totally wasted that opportunity.

But the good far outweighed the bad this year.

Playoffs: C+

CJ McCollu — McCollum starred in this Atlanta playoff run. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

All the “just happy to be here” vibes rightly dissipate once the postseason begins.

McCollum was outstanding against the Knicks, finalizing the impression we got during the regular season that he’s a great fit with this team. Atlanta’s younger players had big contributions of their own, highlighted by the moments Kuminga strung together good decisions and changed momentum in the Hawks’ wins. Moreover they never flinched in battling a much more experienced New York team that boasts championship expectations.

It did prove a rocky postseason for Johnson and Daniels, though. The former shot poorly from the field and couldn’t make much happen against the Knicks’ elite wing defenders. The latter learned what it was like to be a non-shooter in the playoffs, with New York basically ignoring him on offense. He still made it work to the extent the Hawks should be optimistic about his ability to survive in postseason play, at least, but it was a harsh reminder of how Daniels’s biggest flaw can sink the whole ship at times.

Still, it feels like Atlanta is right on schedule ... despite what happened in Game 6. It was a historically awful season-ending loss that shouldn’t cast too much of a pall over what happened in the previous five games—but it does. Just a little bit. So what was a B turned into a C+, because you can’t go down by 61 points at home in an elimination game without getting knocked for it, no matter how young the team might be at large.

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