What We Learned From the Atlanta Hawks Offseason (and What Comes Next)

After a less-than-eventful offseason for the Atlanta Hawks, the rest of the Eastern Conference has become a gauntlet overnight. We've seen some of the best players in the league, probably among the top 10-15 players, end up in the Eastern Conference this offseason, and the Hawks decided not to even attempt to grab one.

Many Hawks fans have found this to be very frustrating, as the team showed a lot of promise this past season with the young core that they have. While many seem sold on the way their series went against the New York Knicks as a clear indicator of a bright future, one has to wonder how this offseason will affect that.

It is important to point out that while the Hawks look promising and had a nice run to end last season, we can't necessarily look at this season as a potential regression. What I mean is, if the Hawks were to finish in Play-In Tournament contention, it's not that they actually regressed; rather, the rest of the conference got significantly better.

This puts Atlanta in somewhat of a weird place, as they've said they want to remain competitive but aren't willing to make any splash moves in a relatively strong Eastern Conference. However, this doesn't mean they can't make a leap again and surprise everyone with how well they improve.

But now that we understand what direction the Hawks have elected to go in, we must start looking ahead to what comes next.

What is next for the Atlanta Hawks this season?

ATL — Nov 25, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) argues with referee Tyler Ricks (95) against the Washington Wizards in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This season, the Hawks have to build on the momentum from last year, but also see what areas need improvement. Throughout the offseason, I've discussed how much the Hawks need to improve their interior defense, how they've been working to fix it, and how they found a long-term replacement for former franchise point guard Trae Young.

One of the more interesting things about what the Hawks decided to do is retain veteran, experienced leadership. Specifically, keeping CJ McCollum to mentor the Hawks' lottery draft pick, Kingston Flemings, and traded for Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort, who all have championship experience from Oklahoma City.

Both Dort and Wiggins didn't perform well this postseason, which led to the Oklahoma City Thunder making the trades. In terms of what to expect from this Hawks team this season, I would say to look at how well they play against the top teams in the conference as a clear indicator of where they stand.

Many should expect another leap from Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Onyeka Okongwu, and Dyson Daniels. The two that I am most focused on seeing improvement from are Alexander-Walker and Daniels, who have proven to be forces defensively, but offensively, it can still be a bit shaky, especially come playoff time.

During the playoffs, both Daniels and Alexander-Walker's points per game and efficiency dropped significantly, leaving many to wonder what went wrong. For Alexander-Walker, it would be cool if he made the offensive leap from 20 points to 23-25 points to potentially make the All-Star Game for the first time.

After last season, many compared him to his cousin Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is an unquestionable Hall of Famer. With the similarities in their games and less offensive firepower to defer to, it will be interesting to see how Alexander-Walker takes his game to the next level.

For Daniels, his offensive game must improve, particularly his shooting. There are far too many moments when defenses sag off him, knowing he can't make shots regularly, which leads to offensive breakdowns.

If both guys take their games to the next level, it's no telling where the Hawks could end up come playoff time. Besides that, there is still enough to be optimistic about when it comes to this group of young, talented players.

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