How Do The Atlanta Hawks Stack Up As a Postseason Team Against the Rest of the Eastern Conference Playoff Picture?

The Hawks are once again around the middle of the conference standings, but is that an accurate assessment of where their talent level is when the playoffs start?

Feb 12, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) looks to drive past Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) in the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Right before the All-Star break, the Atlanta Hawks put one of their best efforts on the court to-date in order to almost steal a game from the New York Knicks, falling in overtime by a score of 149-148.

They did everything short of getting the win on Wednesday despite being vastly outmatched. After a poor first half, Trae Young led the Hawks with 38 points and 19 assists. He looked excellent as a facilitator and scorer, including giving them a chance to win it in OT. Onyeka Okongwu had 21 points and 14 rebounds while Dyson Daniels had 23 points and notched his second straight game with 4 steals. Off the bench, Niang and LeVert went for 21 and 20 points respectively. Niang hit four threes and was instrumental towards Atlanta's offense while LeVert's activity on both ends showed up in a big way. They effectively carried the Hawks' second unit.

However, it's worth noting that Atlanta's free throw shooting effectively lost them the game. They shot 68.6% from the line as a team. Missing 11 free throws in a one-point game is absolutely crushing and it is an indication of how the roster lacks the overall cohesion and elite upside of some of the other teams in the conference.

That being said, it's a useful exercise to go through each team in the Eastern Conference and determine how much better or worse the Hawks are from both a present and future standpoint. The playoff race is going to heat up after the All-Star break, so understanding how the Hawks are positioned for this year and next year's playoff pictures could have notable implications on the Eastern Conference postseason picture.

Boston Celtics: Hawks are worse now, worse in 2025-26

Barring something unexpected, the Hawks aren't going to be better than the Celtics anytime soon. They steal a few games in the regular season, but that isn't going to hold up in the playoffs as long as Boston's core is intact.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Hawks are worse now, worse in 2025-26

If Risacher takes significant steps forward and Jalen Johnson earns an All-Star berth, there's a possibility that their starters can pose a threat to the Cavaliers. Donovan Mitchell and Trae Young can both go head-to-head in a series while Dyson Daniels is an excellent defensive counter for Darius Garland. When healthy, I'd argue Johnson and Evan Mobley are not too far apart from each other. However, Cleveland's roster depth is formidable and that makes a massive difference. The Hawks have performed well in the regular season against the Cavaliers, but I don't expect that trend to hold up in the postseason.

New York Knicks: Hawks are worse now, worse in 2025-26

As long as Karl-Anthony Towns is on the roster and Okongwu is the starting center for Atlanta, the Hawks are at a pretty big size disadvantage. That certainly showed up in their most recent game - Towns had 44 and 10 after catching fire from deep. The Knicks have a ton of playable wings and Brunson is always a hard cover. I do think a healthy Jalen Johnson makes a massive difference for the Hawks, but O.G Anunoby is one of the best defenders in basketball and neutralizes him on that end.

Indiana Pacers: Hawks are worse now, neutral in 2025-26

This is the first team that I could see the Hawks being better than during the 2025-26 season. Indiana has a pretty solid trio this season of Haliburton, Siakam and Myles Turner with a good complement of surrounding talent like Aaron Nesmith, Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard. Atlanta isn't going to catch up to them this year. However, a healthy Jalen Johnson and better play from Zaccharie Risacher give the Hawks a pretty good chance of catching up to Indiana next season. Turner isn't a guarantee to return to Indiana and he's vital to their team. Indiana's offense is very good, but the defense is still mediocre to bad and I expect Atlanta will be a better defense next season.

Milwaukee Bucks: Hawks are worse now, neutral in 2025-26

This might be a hot take, but I think the Hawks have a similar outlook to the Bucks next season. They have a deeper rotation, a reasonable matchup for Giannis with putting Johnson on him and Dyson Daniels can stay on Dame for an extended period of time. The problem is that Giannis is such a mismatch for Atlanta's center rotation. However, the loss of Brook Lopez or a diminished form of Lopez next season is problematic for the Bucks because they haven't drafted particularly well. They're also short on assets, young contributors and cap space.

Detroit Pistons: Hawks are better now, better in 2025-26

Although the Pistons are the current 5th seed in the Eastern Conference, there's only a three game gap between the two teams and they're very young. If Detroit did play the Hawks in the postseason, they have no answer for Trae Young. Atlanta hasn't been great at stopping Cade Cunningham, but their improved depth with LeVert and Mann gives them more defensive answers for him. Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. are always tough to account for when they get hot, but they're not really two-way players in the postseason. If Risacher is a legitimately trustworthy shooter, then Detroit also doesn't have much of an answer for him. There's more postseason experience and depth on Atlanta's roster and I'd expect that to hold true for next year.

Orlando Magic: Hawks are worse now, worse in 2025-26

Atlanta just beat the Magic by a score of 112-106, but I don't think they have a legitimate chance against the Magic for either this season or next. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are mismatches that the Hawks cannot answer (both went for 30+ points in their last game against Atlanta) while they can bottle up Atlanta's already-shaky shooting in a postseason context. They have done a good job against Trae Young. Orlando arguably has worse shooting than the Hawks, but they are a great defense. They'll be better next year with the return of Jalen Suggs and I expect them to make a move in the offseason to add more scoring.

Miami Heat: Hawks are worse now, neutral in 2025-26

I think the Heat are definitely a better team now because they have an advantage over Atlanta on both sides of the ball. Trae Young is probably the best player in a possible matchup between the two teams, but the Heat have a lot of talent behind Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. Ke'el Ware seems to be an early hit from the 2024 draft and Nikola Jovic has taken a big step forward. They have a Terry Rozier problem, but I still see them as a better team this year. However, it's hard to gauge the Heat's outlook for next season. Especially with a healthy Jalen Johnson, I think it's too close to call.

Chicago Bulls: Hawks are better now, better in 2025-26

The Bulls are destined for the play-in at best and should realistically pivot to a rebuild. In either case, their roster doesn't make a lot of sense. They give Atlanta problems in the regular season and Ayo Dosunmu is a great Trae Young defender, but I don't think that means they're a better team than the Hawks in a postseason context for either this year or the next.

Philadelphia 76ers: Hawks are better now, who knows in 2025-26?

The Sixers are one of the least competitive teams in basketball right now. Both Paul George and Joel Embiid are playing injured and haven't looked like themselves. Tyrese Maxey is tough to cover, but he cannot do it by himself and the Sixers' rotation is also very shallow. If George and Embiid are healthier next season, there's a good chance they'll be better than Atlanta considering how good a healthy Embiid is. However, it isn't possible to project that at this point.

Toronto Raptors: Hawks are better now, neutral in 2025-26

The Raptors are also a very confusing team to assess. A lineup of Scottie Barnes, R.J Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Brandon Ingram does have a lot of scoring, but the defensive questions are certainly there. I think the Hawks are definitely better this year, but I have no idea how good that team can be next season. I'd expect Atlanta is better due to the roster making more sense and having complementary skillsets.

Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets: Hawks are better now, better in 2025-26

These teams are all destined for the draft lottery and need to add more NBA talent to their rosters. They're firmly in the rebuilding stages and it'll take time before they catch up to Atlanta.

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