2023 Brings New Challenges for Atlanta Hawks
"I know where you guys want to start," joked Atlanta Hawks head coach Nate McMillan before his final pregame press conference of 2022. It was less than an hour after Shams Charania of The Athletic detailed the internal turmoil facing the Hawks organization and just three hours before State Farm Arena chanted "MVP" for LeBron James.
Almost on cue, the basketball world learned the full extent of the dysfunction playing out behind the scenes in Atlanta. Less than halfway through the 2022-23 NBA season, the team president stepped aside, three front-office executives were dismissed, the head coach considered resigning, and the face of the franchise is unhappy.
Amid a massive power vacuum, 34-year-old general manager Landry Fields and 27-year-old Director of Business & Basketball Operations Nick Ressler are now the leading voices in Atlanta.
While 2022 was no walk in the park for Atlanta, the team reached the Eastern Conference Playoffs for the second consecutive season and landed a second All-Star in Dejounte Murray.
Atlanta Hawks team governor Tony Ressler stands courtside.
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
However, the cracks began to show in July when sources say Hawks governor Tony Ressler pushed the front office to go on a cost-cutting spree, which resulted in a top-heavy and structurally deficient roster. The moves came months after Ressler told the media he wasn't scared of the luxury tax and made private assurances to players that he planned to spend what was necessary to build a contending team.
The short-sighted plan chased off the architect of the team's rebuild, gutted the roster, and left gaping holes in the front office. As a result, 2023 presents the most perilous era in Atlanta in many years.
Atlanta currently sits at 9th in the Eastern Conference with a subpar 17-19 record. While it has been a disappointing start to the season, it is plausible the youthful team could right the ship. Unfortunately, the vitals offer a less optimistic prognosis.
Atlanta ranks 23rd in net rating, and nothing short of a roster shakeup at the trade deadline will reposition the team to win the majority of its remaining games with the eighth-toughest schedule awaiting them.
McMillan seemingly has one foot out the door, and the organization will have to conduct a full coaching search this summer (a crucial step skipped in July 2021). Simultaneously, the positions of a new senior adviser, director of pro scouting, and vice president of player personnel must be filled.
As currently constructed, Atlanta is destined for another early exit from the playoffs. Even more troubling, the organization is drifting into a chaotic situation that could unravel the multi-year rebuild that gave Hawks fans their first Eastern Conference Finals game victory in franchise history.
