NBA Hall of Famer Suggests The Hawks Are the Sleeper Team in the Eastern Conference

While most consider the NBA All-Star Break the midway point of the NBA season, most teams have already played over half of their games. Yesterday, the Atlanta Hawks played their 42nd game, a loss to the New York Knicks and through these first 42 games, the Atlanta Hawks have been one of the surprises in the NBA. They are currently 22-20, but also 6-2 against the top three teams in the Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers, Celtics, and Knicks. Dyson Daniels has come out of nowhere to be one of the NBA's best perimeter defenders, Jalen Johnson continues his ascension to stardom, and De'Andre Hunter is having the best season of his career. They might not be an NBA Finals contender, but this team has been better than most expected and could be a threat to pull an upset in the first round of the playoffs.

What if they are more than that though? During yesterday's broadcast of Inside the NBA, Hall of Famer Charles Barkley said it might be the Hawks who are a sleeper team to watch in the Eastern Conference:

"I will tell you a team that might be dangerous though and that is the Atlanta Hawks. The Atlanta Hawks, are a sleeper in the Eastern Conference. The Cavs, the Celtics, and the Knicks... the Cavs and the Celtics are top tier, I think the Knicks need to make a trade to get stronger on the bench, I know they are going to get Mitchell Robinson back soo."

"The Atlanta Hawks.. They're a sleeper in the Eastern Conference" 👀

The guys debate on who the actual contenders are in the East 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/FSsjI3uYag
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 21, 2025

Atlanta is going ot be a team to watch down the stretch in the East. While Cleveland and Boston are considered the top two, there is uncertainity with the rest of the teams in contention. New York has a strong argument to be in the top group. 4-9 in the East is a big logjam of teams at the moment. Milwaukee and Indiana have been playing well over the past few weeks, Atlanta is playing well and now has Jalen Johnson back after an absence, and Orlando, Miami, and Detroit are not far behind. One of the big storylines over the second half of the season is going to be who can seperate themselves from the rest and the Hawks could certainly be that team. They could be buyers at the trade deadline, but they won't force a move however. This front office has been steadily getting the right pieces around Trae Young and Jalen Johnson and won't make a quick move just for the sake of making a trade. Atlanta has been a pleasant surprise around the league and could be a tough out once the playoffs roll around.

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