Breaking Down the Atlanta Hawks 2021 Preseason Schedule

The Atlanta Hawks announced their 2021 preseason schedule. The Hawks play two home games and two road games before they start the regular season.

After a delayed start to the 2020-2021 regular season, the NBA is back on track with their normal calendar dates. For the Hawks, that 2021-2022 campaign starts with four preseason games beginning in the first week of October. Check out the schedule below.

It is generally wise not to read too much into preseason matchups, but there are some intriguing elements to the schedule. In the first game against the Heat in Miami, Trae Young matches up against Kyle Lowry. The veteran point guard is a headache for opponents. Acquiring hard-nosed players seems to be what Pat Riley aimed for this summer when he also brought in P.J. Tucker and Markieff Morris. Add Jimmy Buttler to the mix, and this Heat roster will get under the skin of every team they play this season.

Two days later, the Hawks are back in Atlanta for their first home game of the preseason. The Cleveland Cavaliers focused on getting bigger this offseason. After trading for Jarrett Allen back in January, they re-signed the restricted free agent to provide superior rim protection. The Cavs further added to their front-court by drafting power forward Evan Mobley with the 3rd overall draft pick.

The following Saturday night, the Hawks travel to Memphis to play Ja Morant and the Grizzlies. Despite making the playoffs last season, the Grizzlies have been quite active this offseason. Through a series of trades, they brought in more support with Jarret Culver and Juancho Hernangomez. Not to mention, they have a promising pair of rookies in Zaire Williams and Santi Aldama.

Lastly, the Hawks play the Heat again, this time in Atlanta. In the final dress rehearsal before the regular season, we should see more of the Hawks roster. Jalen Johnson and Sharife Cooper stole the show in Las Vegas, but it will be tough for them to see much playing time in their rookie seasons. It will be interesting to see how new pick-ups Delon Wright and Gorgui Dieng fit into an already crowded rotation. 

We still are yet to see the full regular-season schedule. However, we did get a glimpse earlier this week, which previewed some enticing games. Additionally, this is Nate McMillan's first training camp and preseason as the Hawks head coach. Teams don't win or lose championships in the fall (except for the 2020 NBA Finals), but creating a solid foundation is vital for getting off to a smooth start.