The Miami Heat Will Be The Biggest Test For The Atlanta Hawks In The 2026-27 Season

Their recent addition of Klay Thompson isn't a guarantee of a championship, but it does give Miami another player who makes them a uniquely difficult matchup for the Hawks.

Apr 12, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) drives against Atlanta Hawks forward Corey Kispert (24) and guard Keaton Wallace (2) during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Atlanta Hawks are one of the few teams in the Eastern Conference that didn't make a splashy addition or trade this summer. They took on Lu Dort, Devin Carter, and Aaron Wiggins as salary dumps while re-signing CJ McCollum and Jock Landale to one-year deals. Fortifying their depth and adding a possible starter in Dort improves their floor, but it'd be hard to argue that the Hawks meaningfully elevated their overall ceiling in the postseason.

The Miami Heat did the exact opposite. They traded for one of the five best players (when healthy) in the NBA by acquiring Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and a veteran frontcourt piece in Bobby Portis. They supplemented that decision by re-signing Andrew Wiggins to a new contract, adding Tim Hardaway Jr and, per ESPN's Shams Charania, agreeing to terms on a new contract for Klay Thompson upon his release from the Mavericks.

BREAKING: Klay Thompson is expected to sign with the Miami Heat after he clears waivers upon a contract buyout with the Dallas Mavericks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/jV40iKTyEz

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 21, 2026

Miami is far from the only team to make big changes in the conference, but I believe that they are uniquely poised to be a tough matchup for the Hawks this season. The Knicks, Cavaliers, and Celtics have usually been threats at the top of the conference. The 76ers certainly put themselves into the conversation by adding LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in one offseason. However, Miami's strengths as a team make them a uniquely tough opponent for the Hawks to deal with.

Answers for Jalen Johnson

Feb 20, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) handles the ball against the Miami Heat in the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In his last three games against the Miami Heat during the regular season, Jalen Johnson has averaged 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game. On paper, those are stellar numbers. Even with the context that Johnson's stat line of 16 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists came in a blowout by Miami, it'd be unfair to say that the Heat have shut down Jalen Johnson throughout his career.

However, it will be significantly harder for Johnson to attack the same mismatches that he was previously able to dominate on Miami's roster. During their matchup on February 3rd, the Heat went with a combination of Kasparas Jakuconis, Jamie Jaquez, and Pelle Larsson to guard Johnson. None of them posed any real resistance, and accordingly, Johnson picked the Heat apart. Those players weren't strong enough to match his strength, and they didn't have the hands or length to disrupt his passes.

In their next game on February 19th, the Heat were able to use Andrew Wiggins to counter Johnson. He didn't shut Johnson down, but he's got the size and speed to hold up on the perimeter against Johnson's physicality. More often than not, he forced Johnson to pass out to another option. The rest of the Hawks did a good job of converting those passes into made shots, but Wiggins was a significant factor in Johnson shooting 6-22 from the field.

Johnson did shoot 3/6 with Wiggins as his closest defender, but one of the shots was a difficult three that he nailed, and the other two were in the paint. Generally, Wiggins forced Johnson to hunt other matchups to get his shots off.

With the addition of Giannis, it allows the Heat to keep Giannis on Johnson and have Wiggins take the SF matchup. That means Wiggins will now be freed up to hunt wayward passes from Jalen, and that's an area that he excels in. Wiggins finished in the 80th percentile for deflections per game (2.2) relative to his position, and he averages 21.2 defensive field goal attempts per 100 possessions (93rd percentile). He's very good at sticking to his man, contesting shots, and capitalizing on opportunities to generate turnovers.

In isolation, Giannis has always been a challenging matchup for Johnson. Over the past three seasons, Johnson has made just three shots against the Greek Freak. He averages 7.5 points, 5.0 assists, and 1.5 turnovers per 75 minutes on 39.5 TS% when Giannis guards him. As a result, Johnson is going to have to pick the Heat's defense apart with his passing and hope that his teammates can hit enough shots to keep them in the game.

Miami Added More Heaters

Mar 10, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) reacts after making a three-point basket against the Atlanta Hawks in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Hawks are going to need Johnson and the rest of the offense to be at its best because Miami added multiple players this offseason who have routinely killed the Hawks with their shooting. The obvious one is Klay Thompson.

Fans might remember the 54-point performance that Thompson put on where he made 10 threes and torched the Hawks from deep during his time with the Golden State Warriors. Thankfully, he isn't quite at that level anymore. However, Klay did a perfectly fine job of exploting Atlanta's defensive weaknesses when he was on the Mavericks in a much worse spacing context. In his last three games against Atlanta, he's made 4+ threes in all of them.

Admittedly, a lot of his production came on plays where he made Zaccharie Risacher look helpless, but it's worth noting that Klay is still a player who punishes late rotations and defensive mistakes. The Hawks added more perimeter defense, but it remains to be seen whether they fixed those problems.

Miami also added Tim Hardaway Jr and Bobby Portis. While both of these players are also feast-or-famine shooters, Hardaway Jr scored 18 and 17 points, respectively, against Atlanta in his last two games, while Bobby Portis has averaged 3+ threes against the Hawks over his last four games facing them. Hardaway Jr went 5-11 and 6-11 from deep in those two games - the volume at which he and Thompson shoot will force the Hawks to be disciplined in their rotations and defensive communication. Portis brings an edge through his combination of defensive rebounding and hot shooting from deep, which might put pressure on a Hawks team that finished 20th in offensive rebounding.

Fortunately for the Hawks, none of these shooters are very good as defenders, and that could be where Atlanta makes up the difference. Dyson Daniels isn't much of a shooter, but he's a good passer, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker is going to be a tough matchup for any slow defender due to his relentless pressure on the rim. CJ McCollum can go shot-for-shot with anyone when he's on a hot streak, and they could also get an offensive boost from any remaining development for Onyeka Okongwu.

While the Knicks are the biggest threat to the Hawks on paper, they've shown an ability to match some of New York's punches and the Knicks have never performed at the level of a machine in the regular season. If they struggle in the regular season due to injuries, I'd expect the Heat to cement themselves as the difficult Eastern Conference matchup the Hawks will struggle with this season.