NBA Analyst Details What the Atlanta Hawks' Biggest Goal Should Be For The Rest of This Season

The Atlanta Hawks are 1-4 since the All-Star break and they find themselves starting to lose ground in the NBA play-in tournament race. Atlanta is currently 9th in the Eastern Conference and would need to win two games just to earn the No. 8 seed and a likely first-round exit at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers. This Hawks team is not the same without star forward Jalen Johnson, but they don't have the luxury of having their own draft pick, making their current predicament interesting. Atlanta is not good enough with Johnson to potentially win a playoff series, but have no incentive to lose.

So what should the Hawks goal for the rest of the season be? That is a tricky question, but CBS Sports analyst Brad Botkin had a good answer:

"Don't look now, but the 2024 No. 1 overall pick is making 42% of his 3s on four attempts per game since Jan. 1. That is a huge for Risacher, who was sub-30% through the first two-plus months of his rookie season. Risacher isn't going to be a star, but he fits the blueprint of two-way wings around Trae Young should the shooting hold up. Let's hope it does over the final six weeks.

Beyond that, the Hawks owe their first-round pick to San Antonio so there's no incentive to tank (they do get the Lakers' first-rounder and the Kings' assuming it stays outside the top-12). Without Jalen Johnson the Hawks are not even an outside threat to do anything in the playoffs even if they somehow get through the play-in round(s)."

Risacher had his best month of his rookie season in February. Risacher shot 47% from the field and 44% from three, scoring in double digits in 10 of the games that he played. Risacher is a critical cornerstone for the Hawks moving forward and he is starting to round into form heading into the final stretch of the season. He has also been really good at not turning the ball over (aside from a seven turnover performance last night vs OKC) and being a good defender. He is not at the top of the oddsboard for rookie of the year, but he should be getting more consideration than he is currently receiving.

After the loss last night, Atlanta is now 9th in the Eastern Conference, three games ahead of the 10th place Chicago Bulls and 5.5 games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets, who are in 11th. Atlanta is two games back of Miami for the No. 7 seed, showing how congested the play-in race is in the Eastern Conference. Any hopes of surging into the top six are likely dead and the best Atlanta might get at this point is the No. 7 spot. The matchups against Orlando and Miami the rest of the season are going to be crucial.

The final full month of the season is upon the NBA and for the Atlanta Hawks, they will be trying to snap out of this funk they have been in since the All-Star Break. There is still time to turn things around and make the most of this season, but time is running out.

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