Three Lessons The Hawks Can Take Away From The New York Knicks Winning the NBA Finals

Now that the Knicks are officially NBA champions, the Hawks have some lessons they can learn given they were one of the teams New York had to beat on the way to their championship.

Apr 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Tony Bradley (13) blocks the shot of New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek (13) in the second half during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

It always hurts to lose in the playoffs, but at least the Hawks can say they lost to the best.

After the Knicks officially won the championship over the San Antonio Spurs in five games, it's important to reflect on what it means for the Hawks because they were one of the teams New York demolished on its way to a 16-3 postseason record. Stellar play from CJ McCollum and a great team effort forced the Knicks to change up their tactics and start using Karl-Anthony Towns as more of an offensive hub. That was a critical shift that definitely played a role in New York's championship run.

Now that the reigning NBA champions have staked their claim at the top of the conference, the Hawks need to consider what it will take to put themselves on the Knicks' level and what they can take away from their dominant run through the postseason.

Depth At The Trade Deadline

Jun 10, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jose Alvarado (5) controls the ball against San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) and guard De'aaron Fox (4) during the fourth quarter of game four of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

One of the most underrated pieces in New York's championship run was guard Jose Alvarado. Acquired from the Pelicans in exchange for second-round draft capital, Alvarado swung Game 4 for the Knicks in his minutes next to Jalen Brunson. He scored eight points, dished out three assists and added two rebounds all while being a consistently excellent presence as a backup point guard. These are the types of acqusitions the Hawks should actively target next season.

At this year's trade deadline, the Hawks had to dump Kristaps Porzingis and figure out a new destination for Luke Kennard. Those are fine moves to make for this season, but the front office shouldn't be in the same mindset next year. They are a clear playoff team (injury-permitting) and now is the time to start making marginal upgrades to their depth in order to fuel a deep run.

Invest in Two-Way Guards

Nov 3, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings (4) drives as Lehigh Mountain Hawks center Tommy Conniff (44) defends during the second half at Fertitta Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

With the No. 8 and/or the No. 22 pick, it is mandatory that the Hawks find the long-term backcourt partner for Dyson Daniels.

Earlier in the offseason, it was easy to make the case that the Hawks should focus on adding to their center depth. However, good guard play is still very valuable even as the NBA has become bigger and longer. Jalen Brunson showed that small guards can still serve as 1A options in the Finals when they are surrounded by the right complimentary pieces. Adding a guard who has legit playmaking skills paired with playable defense is going to be of the utmost priority for the Hawks. The draft is the best opportunity for them to do so.

Kingston Flemings, Brayden Burries, Mikel Brown Jr, Labaron Philon and Ebuka Okorie all stand out as guards who could be avaliable for the Hawks to improve their halfcourt offense without taking a ton off the table from a defensive perspective. It would be really dissapointing if the Hawks didn't walk out with one of them.

Rebounding Repair

Apr 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) and New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reach for a rebound in the first quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

While the guard play should be a priority in the draft, this has to be the last season that the Hawks aren't a good rebounding team.

They were last in rebounds per game in the playoffs and they were 18th in the regular season. Statistically, they were just above average in defensive rebounding (13th) in the regular season, but that didn't carry over to the postseason. Conversely, the Knicks leaned on their rebounding to beat one of the tallest and most dominant rim protectors the game has ever seen in Victor Wembanyama.

Karl-Anthony Towns is going to be a matchup problem for the rest of his time in New York if the Hawks fail to add a significant rebounding presence. That might be Asa Newell one day, but the Hawks have the salary cap space and draft capital to add a legit seven-footer with rebounding chops this offseason. If they can pry someone like Isaiah Hartenstein from the Thunder, that completely changes their ceiling as a team. Adding a rookie center probably won't make much of a difference because rookie bigs take time to adjust to the NBA. This is an area where the Hawks need a veteran presence and there's several ways to get a rebounding big these days. There should be little excuse for fixing this problem in the offseason.