Three Atlanta Hawks Storylines to Watch In March

The Hawks have had two days to rest and get ready for the big stretch of games that is coming in the month of March. Atlanta ended February on a three game winning streak and moved their overall record to 30-31. They have not succeeded when they have had a chance to get to .500, but tomrrow could be the day.

As the Hwks head into March, what are some storylines to watch?

1. Can they make a playoff push?

The Atlanta Hawks are two games out of 8th place, 2.5 out of seventh, and four games out of sixth place in the Eastern Conference. They have been trying to make up ground with a soft schedule lately, but there is a lot to still do.

Atlanta has the 12th easiest schedule remaining in the NBA the rest of the way and they have quite a few home games as well. While it might be a stretch for them to be able to jump into the top six, it is not impossible and if they remain healthy, it could happen.

2. Jonathan Kuminga

While it was just two games against the Wizards, Jonathan Kuminga has had a great start to his tenure with the Hawks.

In his two games as a Hawk, newly-acquired forward Jonathan Kuminga is averaging 22.0 points on .667 FG% (14-21 FGM), .571 3FG% (4-7 3FGM) and .800 FT% (12-15 FTM), 8.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals in 27.1 minutes, owning a total +/- of +39.

His +39 is the highest +/- for the first two games with a team in the NBA since Buddy Hield in 2024 (+45, GSW) and the highest +/- for a Hawk in his first two games with the franchise since at least 1997-98 (play-by-play era), passing Mike Dunleavy Jr.'s +34 (1/13-17-1/15/17). In his most recent outing on 2/26 against the Wizards, Kuminga tallied a near double-double of 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block in 30 minutes.

Will Kuminga jump into the starting lineup when Jalen Johnson returns? That is a huge question mark, but it has been an exciting two games for the young forward.

3. How will Zaccharie Risacher play coming off the bench?

Last weekend, the Hawks elected to put Risacher on the bench in favor of CJ McCollum and that marked a shift for the Hawks. With Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jalen Johnson out, RIsacher was inserted back into the starting lineup, but that is likely just a temporary thing.

Even though he is the reigning runner up for rookie of the year and the No. 1 overall pick in 2o24, it feels that Risacher is at his first real bump in the road in his career. He has not played well this season and frankly, it is a bit of an unknown if he is in the teams long term plans. Can he play well off the bench and find a role for himself down the stretch of the season? If he can't, it will be interesting to see how the Hawks move forward with him.