Possible Top Six Seed For the Hawks? One Analyst Thinks it is a possibility
The Hawks may have started their season off on the wrong foot against the Hornets last night, but there is still some optimism that this team is being underrated at the start of the NBA season.
ESPN NBA writer Zach Lowe releases his "tiers ranking" before the start of every season. He describes it as "my alternative to preseason power rankings. Grouping teams by where they are today and where they might go tomorrow is a useful way to step back and take broader stock of the league."
In his top tier or the "inner circle" teams, or teams that can win the NBA Title, Lowe listed the Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Phoenix Suns.
Where did Lowe have the Hawks?
Lowe put the Hawks in his "BEST (OTHER) SHOTS AT TOP-6 -- EAST VERSION", behind the Celtics, Bucks, and Cavaliers. The other teams in this tier included the Knicks, Heat, and the 76ers.
Here is what Lowe had to say about including the Hawks in this tier:
"If the East standings indeed fall this way -- Boston, Milwaukee, Cleveland as top-3 -- then these four are fighting for the final three locked-in playoff seeds.
Chuckle at Atlanta's presence here if you like. They've earned your scorn with some flailing roster moves, internal drama, and sudden coaching changes. But they have a lot of talent -- their first three off the bench should be among the best in the league, and that's super-valuable in the regular season -- and a higher ceiling (to these optimistic eyes, at least) than the teams in the next tier down. Quin Snyder is a regular-season wins booster. The same kind of big-picture organizational pressure Minnesota faces applies to the Hawks: If the Trae Young-Dejounte Murray foundation meanders to another .500-ish season, is a big pivot coming?"
The Hawks are coming off of a loss to the Hornets, but I think they are a possible top-four seed in the East.
Where will the Atlanta Hawks finish in the Eastern Conference Standings?
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Going into this season, there are only two teams in the Eastern Conference that I don't think the Hawks can be better than, assuming everyone stays healthy. The Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks are heavy favorites in this conference after acquiring big-time players like Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday and both teams have two of the best starting lineups in the NBA. The rest of the Eastern Conference has plenty of questions.
Everyone has heard about the drama in Philadelphia by now and it is unclear if or when James Harden is going to play for them. If he does play for the 76ers this season and plays to the level he did last year, I think that Philadelphia is probably ahead of Atlanta. But that is a big if and if he is traded or just does not play, the Hawks could pass the 76ers in the standings.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were one of the best teams in the NBA last season in terms of point differential, but they were humbled by the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. Cleveland did upgrade their shooting on the team with the additions of Max Strus and Georges Niang and I think they are a good bet to be a good regular-season team. They are going to be a tough out every night and while they have questions to answer in the playoffs, the Cavs should be a safe bet to be a good regular-season team and rack up wins.
The other contender for the top four in the Eastern Conference is going to the Knicks. After getting bullied by Atlanta a couple of years ago and then missing the playoffs the next year, New York won a playoff series and played tough against the Miami Heat in the second round. Jalen Brunson had a great season and they have a lot of continuity on their roster. They are going to be a tough team to beat, but I think the Hawks are better.
Now we have to talk about the Heat.
Miami waited all offseason to try and get Damian Lillard and they were not able to. They also lost Strus and Gabe Vincent and they might be a worse team on paper than they were a year ago. They were not a good regular-season team a year ago, but they still have Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, and the best coach in the NBA is Erik Spoelstra. Don't overlook them, but the Heat are not guaranteed to be the same team as they were in the playoffs.
It was not the way the Hawks wanted to open up their season on Wednesday night, but there should still be plenty of optimism around the Hawks going into Friday's game.
Atlanta has their home opener tomorrow night against the Knicks.
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