Atlanta Ranks Low In B/R's Future Power Rankings

The Atlanta Hawks had a stroke of luck last Sunday when they were able to shockingly win the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery. Atlanta was projected to pick in the back of the lottery, but they shot all the way up to No. 1, putting another layer of intrigue to what is already expected to be a busy offseason. How much did winning the NBA Draft Lottery change Atlanta's outlook for the future? In a newly released future power rankings list, Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey does not think the Hawks future is very bright, ranking them No. 22 in the future power rankings:

Landing the top pick in the lottery is nice, but you almost feel bad that the Hawks happened to get it this year.

"Multiple veteran NBA execs say the same thing about this draft," veteran reporter Jeff Goodman wrote. "It's the worst draft they have ever seen."

That limits Atlanta on a couple fronts. If the reports about the weakness of this class are true, there may not be a short-term difference-maker available to take with the first pick. It could also mean the pick won't mean much in potential trade packages.

Still, the allure of No. 1, in any year, is better than No. 10 (where Atlanta was prior to the lottery). And that's enough to gently nudge this team a spot or two up the board.

Right now, the Hawks have two dynamic guards in Trae Young and Dejounte Murray who just don't fit together well. Moving one of them and rebalancing the roster a bit could bolster the team's depth and trove of draft assets.

There's still more development to come for Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu and De'Andre Hunter, too. Add that theoretical trade and Bogdan Bogdanović to the mix, and it's easy to see this team pushing for a playoff spot next year.

Much more than that, though, feels like a stretch."

I would disagree with this for a couple of reasons. I think Young is a much better player and is not respected nearly enough around the league, but I also think this draft is better than some suggest. Is there a no-doubt superstar/All-NBA player in it? I doubt it, but there are plenty of talented players who would be great complementary pieces on a team, particularly if the Hawks decide to take Alex Sarr.

It Atlanta decides to keep Young and trade Murray, they would net some good assets to put around a trio of Young, Jalen Johnson and Sarr, which could build them into a good playoff team if they construct the rest of the roster right.

The Hawks future is uncertain for sure, but I would argue that it is brighter than some other teams around the league. They are still a young team (no pun intended) and could still add pieces to that.