Three Biggest Questions For The Atlanta Hawks in Their First Round Series vs New York

What are the biggest questions the Hawks must answer leading up to their first round series vs the Knicks?

Apr 6, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) reacts after scoring on a put back shot against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The NBA Playoffs have arrived, and after the NBA Play-in Tournament this week, the journey to the NBA Finals begins on Saturday, and arguably the most interesting first-round series is the one between the Atlanta Hawks and the New York Knicks.

The Hawks and Knicks have played three times this season, with the Knicks winning the season series 2-1, but only one of those games came with the teams as currently constructed. While New York has not really changed as a team, the Hawks changed pretty dramatically as a team. Gone are Trae Young, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kennard, and Vit Krejci, in are CJ McCollum, Jonathan Kuminga, Gabe Vincent, and Buddy Hield. The identity of this team has changed and over the course of the last two months, they have played like one of the NBA's best teams.

Last week was a thrilling game and a preview of the series. What are the biggest questions facing the Hawks in this series against one of the premier teams in the NBA?

1. How do the Hawks handle Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson?

Apr 6, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts after dunking against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

While Jalen Brunson is the Knicks best player and one of the best players in the entire NBA, the two players that could swing this series for the Knicks are Towns and Robinson. While there has been no update on his status, Atlanta has been without backup center Jock Landale for nearly two weeks and if he is unable to go, even if for the first part of this series, the Hawks will have a size issue at center.

Onyeka Okongwu has consistently been one of the most underrated centers in the league and he is likely to be guarding Towns in this series, but he can't play 48 minutes a night. If Landale is out, will the Hawks go to Mo Gueye to help deal with the size and rebounding presence that Robinson brings or could they go to Tony Bradley, who was signed after Landale's injury?

Gueye struggled immensely with Robinson in the game last week and Atlanta did try Bradley for a very short stint, though it went very poorly. It would not surprise me to see the Hawks go to Bradley and see what he can bring against Robinson.

Towns has played very well against the Hawks and they seemed to want to run some of the offense through him at the start of last week's game. Will they go back to that?

2. What can the Hawks bench do?

The Hawks bench has been a point of criticism, especially on the nights that Jonathan Kuminga does not score well and in the game last week against New York, the Hawks bench only had eight points.

Kuminga, Gabe Vincent, Zaccharie Risacher, Mo Gueye, and Tony Bradley were the players that came off the bench for the Hawks in that game and if Landale is not back, I expect it to be similar.

Kuminga can be a very up and down player on offense, but his size, athleticism, ability to defend bigger wing players, and rebounding are going to be essential for the Hawks in this series. Vincent is a lock to play, but can he defend well enough and hit threes to make an impact? Same question can be asked of Risacher and we have talked about the battle the Hawks are going to be fighting against Mitchell Robinson.

Atlanta needs something from their bench in this series or else the Knicks are going to win.

3. Is Jalen Johnson ready for the big moment?

Jalen Johnson's development has been a great story for the Hawks and he should be on an All-NBA team for the year he has had. As one of the best young players in the league, Johnson has become the franchise player for the Hawks, but this is going to be his first series in the playoffs as the main guy.

This playoff series is by no means a referendum on Johnson as a player or his future, but against a team with plenty of experience and players who have been there and done that, Johnson is going to have to show he is ready for the spotlight. He will have to deal with a great defender like OG Anunoby and pressure like he has never seen before.

I think Johnson is ready for the tall task and can lead the Hawks to an upset, but we are about to find out.