Post Mortem #13 - Atlanta Hawks

[Doctor MJ]

I put keep the GM/coach but treadmill. Glad to see others more optimistic.

I think the Hawks do have good young talent - Jalen, Dyson, Risacher, oh my - but I also think it likely that the Trae Young situation makes it really hard to go all-in on something new.

Maybe it's just a matter of surrounding Trae with the right talent, but he's a player with massive weaknesses to go with his massive strengths, and I worry that we've already largely seen the ceiling of what that's likely to give you.

[ChuckChilly]

Thanks for the lotto pick

You Spurs fans are weird. Yall act as if you got revenge on a rival team as opposed to just getting the better end of a trade. Very strange.

[ReggiesKnicks]

Maybe it's just a matter of surrounding Trae with the right talent, but he's a player with massive weaknesses to go with his massive strengths, and I worry that we've already largely seen the ceiling of what that's likely to give you.

Who has been Trae Young's best teammate during his tenure in Atlanta?

By BPM it is Bogdan Bogdanovic (Just traded 2 months ago) or Clint Capella. That isn't very promising.

If you are saying, "This is likely the ceiling of Atlanta with Trae Young if Atlanta never adds a Top 75 player in the NBA, " I agree. Expecting a team with Trae Young (Top 30 player with massive strength/weakness discrepancies) and a complete lack of top-end talent to be anything more than first-round playoff fodder isn't something I can get behind.

However, I don't see why Trae couldn't co-exist with another or multiple other immensely talented players who cover his weaknesses. Atlanta has done a very poor job since 2021 of putting the right pieces around Young, but the current young core fits the mold of players I would add to Trae.

I think Atlanta gives this core 2 more years to see how they develop around Trae and if they can become as stable as Indiana currently is, which is realistic, then they ride out the Trae Young experience until he wants out.

[Bornstellar]

Thanks for the lotto pick

You Spurs fans are weird. Yall act as if you got revenge on a rival team as opposed to just getting the better end of a trade. Very strange.

Lol. I promise you it's not that deep.

[Doctor MJ]

Maybe it's just a matter of surrounding Trae with the right talent, but he's a player with massive weaknesses to go with his massive strengths, and I worry that we've already largely seen the ceiling of what that's likely to give you.

Who has been Trae Young's best teammate during his tenure in Atlanta?

By BPM it is Bogdan Bogdanovic (Just traded 2 months ago) or Clint Capella. That isn't very promising.

If you are saying, "This is likely the ceiling of Atlanta with Trae Young if Atlanta never adds a Top 75 player in the NBA, " I agree. Expecting a team with Trae Young (Top 30 player with massive strength/weakness discrepancies) and a complete lack of top-end talent to be anything more than first-round playoff fodder isn't something I can get behind.

However, I don't see why Trae couldn't co-exist with another or multiple other immensely talented players who cover his weaknesses. Atlanta has done a very poor job since 2021 of putting the right pieces around Young, but the current young core fits the mold of players I would add to Trae.

I think Atlanta gives this core 2 more years to see how they develop around Trae and if they can become as stable as Indiana currently is, which is realistic, then they ride out the Trae Young experience until he wants out.

So the thing about that "best teammate" question is that I'd generally want to look at how far the star's +/- diverges from the his closest teammate - that is under the assumption that the star in question was leading his team, because if his teammates are so inferior, shouldn't he? But Trae hasn't led the Hawks since '20-21, and nor has he had a big on-off like we'd expect from a star dealing with poor depth around him.

None of this means the Hawks have necessarily built "the right way" around Young, but just saying, if you're looking for a "best teammate" to come in and make everything better, you're probably not realistically talking about a sidekick - though of course on offense he'd have to be, as Young simply has to be the one running the offense if you're going to hope to make good use of him - so much as you're talking about a considerably better all-around player than Young.

None of this means you can't succeed with Young, only that it doesn't really make sense to criticize a franchise for not building around a player correctly, if your definition of "building around" means getting someone better than he is. Rather, when you decided to have a franchise player who isn't good enough to be the best player on a contender, that's where the root of the disappointment lies.

[vege]

I like what Atlanta are doing a lot. Risacher need a season or 2 but he will be good, an above average starter imo.

It's difficult to build around Trae, because of how bad his defense is, but I think Landry Fields is doing an awesome job, Atlanta have a lot of good wingers, they need a healthy backup C for next season, they lacked size this season, but OO is developing well.

At one point I was worried about the 6th seed, Detroit was trending downwards, and Atlanta had a much easier schedule. Sadly for Atlanta they had a bad stretch at the end but they can easily be a top 6 team in the east next season with JJ healthy and a couple of new pieces and internal growth.

LeVert was pretty good and he is a great fit for them, and I like Krejci a lot, if Gueye can do anything on offense he will be awesome, his defense is insane.

OO JJ and DD are all awesome and young pieces that are a great fit next to Trae and Risacher should be better next season. They're good and have a good future, they just need patience and they need to continue to do what they're doing.

Detroit/Atlanta/Orlando are all in the same tier imo (I don't like Miami roster tbh) with Indy a little ahead and Cleveland ahead of all of them. Boston will go down eventually (the new CBA will make sure of it) and Milwaukee are done imo. The Knicks are always an injury or 2 away from being bad and they always have injuries becuase of how shorthanded they are and how insane Thibs is with their minutes.

[ReggiesKnicks]

Maybe it's just a matter of surrounding Trae with the right talent, but he's a player with massive weaknesses to go with his massive strengths, and I worry that we've already largely seen the ceiling of what that's likely to give you.

Who has been Trae Young's best teammate during his tenure in Atlanta?

By BPM it is Bogdan Bogdanovic (Just traded 2 months ago) or Clint Capella. That isn't very promising.

If you are saying, "This is likely the ceiling of Atlanta with Trae Young if Atlanta never adds a Top 75 player in the NBA, " I agree. Expecting a team with Trae Young (Top 30 player with massive strength/weakness discrepancies) and a complete lack of top-end talent to be anything more than first-round playoff fodder isn't something I can get behind.

However, I don't see why Trae couldn't co-exist with another or multiple other immensely talented players who cover his weaknesses. Atlanta has done a very poor job since 2021 of putting the right pieces around Young, but the current young core fits the mold of players I would add to Trae.

I think Atlanta gives this core 2 more years to see how they develop around Trae and if they can become as stable as Indiana currently is, which is realistic, then they ride out the Trae Young experience until he wants out.

So the thing about that "best teammate" question is that I'd generally want to look at how far the star's +/- diverges from the his closest teammate - that is under the assumption that the star in question was leading his team, because if his teammates are so inferior, shouldn't he? But Trae hasn't led the Hawks since '20-21, and nor has he had a big on-off like we'd expect from a star dealing with poor depth around him.

None of this means the Hawks have necessarily built "the right way" around Young, but just saying, if you're looking for a "best teammate" to come in and make everything better, you're probably not realistically talking about a sidekick - though of course on offense he'd have to be, as Young simply has to be the one running the offense if you're going to hope to make good use of him - so much as you're talking about a considerably better all-around player than Young.

None of this means you can't succeed with Young, only that it doesn't really make sense to criticize a franchise for not building around a player correctly, if your definition of "building around" means getting someone better than he is. Rather, when you decided to have a franchise player who isn't good enough to be the best player on a contender, that's where the root of the disappointment lies.

I agree with most of what is being said here and understand where you are coming from in a relatively indecisive but clear conception about Trae Young and the Hawks.

Trae leading or not leading +/- isn't essential to me. Trae having a positive impact footprint is significant, and coupled with his unique skill set leads me to believe Trae can be the centerpiece of a good team.

I don't have to dig up any information other than when I look at Luka Doncic, his entire skill-set is optimized with an elite lob-threat (Daniel Gafford and Dwight Powell come to mind) to provide vertical spacing and occupy the Dunker's spot. Nikola Jokic did the same thing with Paul Millsap and then upgraded to Aaron Gordon. These offensive maestros with incredible passing abilities fully unlock their skill set when they have vertical spacing.

I, too, have reservations about building around Trae to be a true contender. You then get into questions about his skill-set not being additive, as he is a poor defender and not a great set-shooter. I wouldn't point to the 2022-2025 stretch as a way to highlight Trae's shortcomings, though, as those teams have been, to put it nicely, poorly constructed.

Simply put, 2022 Trae Young was exceptional offensively following his 2021 ECF appearance. The Atlanta Hawks had 11 "Non-Trae rotation" players (Players who played > 600 Minutes on the Season). All of them who attempted a 3P shot shot over 36%. The 2024 Atlanta Hawks had 9 "Non-Trae rotation players and only 4 of them shot over 36% from 3P. The 2025 Atlanta Hawks had 5 such players out of 11.

2022: 9 Players
2024: 4 Players
2025: 5 Players

I would love to be at the helm of the decision makers for the Atlanta Hawks. Trae/Jalen/Risacher/Daniels/Krejci is fun, while Okongwu/Gueye are interesting, though not my flavor of skill sets. Ultimately, the identity of good NBA teams lies in their wings, bigs, or both. Atlanta has a lot of potential for their front-court, and their ceiling around Young will depend on their development, not Trae Young. And this point, I think, is where we are in agreement and brings us back to your original point about "Building a contender around Trae", because you shouldn't be building around Trae but rather a strong front-court. I think Trae can be immensely valuable in this case because he allows for the wings Atlanta can target and potentially acquire to be more limited offensively (not shooting but on-ball creation).

[CP War Hawks]

Thanks for the lotto pick

So instead of the 15th pick, you get the 14th pick. I mean I guess that's celebratory.

[PhilBlackson]

Thanks for the lotto pick

So instead of the 15th pick, you get the 14th pick. I mean I guess that's celebratory.

That beloved 1% chance lol....nonetheless it is kinda weird to rub it in on a non-rival team and to a fanbase that I don't ever remember gloating about the trade lol

[CP War Hawks]

I like what Atlanta are doing a lot. Risacher need a season or 2 but he will be good, an above average starter imo.

It's difficult to build around Trae, because of how bad his defense is, but I think Landry Fields is doing an awesome job, Atlanta have a lot of good wingers, they need a healthy backup C for next season, they lacked size this season, but OO is developing well.

At one point I was worried about the 6th seed, Detroit was trending downwards, and Atlanta had a much easier schedule. Sadly for Atlanta they had a bad stretch at the end but they can easily be a top 6 team in the east next season with JJ healthy and a couple of new pieces and internal growth.

LeVert was pretty good and he is a great fit for them, and I like Krejci a lot, if Gueye can do anything on offense he will be awesome, his defense is insane.

OO JJ and DD are all awesome and young pieces that are a great fit next to Trae and Risacher should be better next season. They're good and have a good future, they just need patience and they need to continue to do what they're doing.

Detroit/Atlanta/Orlando are all in the same tier imo (I don't like Miami roster tbh) with Indy a little ahead and Cleveland ahead of all of them. Boston will go down eventually (the new CBA will make sure of it) and Milwaukee are done imo. The Knicks are always an injury or 2 away from being bad and they always have injuries becuase of how shorthanded they are and how insane Thibs is with their minutes.

Thanks for an objective pov with a bit of criticism. It'd be a much better site if we could downvote obvious troll attempts instead of just letting them ride along through the night year after year but I digress.

[Rainwater]

A decision needs to be made regarding Trae first before deciding this team's future.

[GrindCityHustle]

They just need to be like the late 90s jazz and keep the team together until they figure it out. No point in rebuilding and having to be like Washington.

[Geaux_Hawks]

If there was ever a core group to run it back with(coaches included), I'd hope the FO would pick this group over anything we've had over the last 4 years. We've been a poorly constructed team, with bland coaching since Trae was drafted, but we've finally found some light towards properly "building" around Trae with a coach who actually has the ability to really coach.

Which brings me to "building" around Trae. You don't necessarily build around him. The approach to building around Trae needs to look more like a collective of fitting pieces that takes advantage of Trae's skillset similar to how the SSOL Suns were constructed.

We've kinda got the remnants of said team with Trae in the mold of Nash; JJ being similar to Amare; and Dys essentially being Marion. Risacher can be your Joe Johnson. The lesson from that Suns team though would be to add the necessary size to adjust accordingly to teams in the playoffs when needed.

Aside from that, the young guys need to just continue developing. I'm sure Quin will have these guys in position to win more once the skills develop to a point where everyone is consistent in their performance every night.

[Bloodbather]

If JJ, Risacher, and Dyson keep improving, it makes no sense to trade Trae. They're very complementary players. I'd look to get a proper big (size wise) instead of Okongwu, though. You need a big guy patrolling in the back if you have Trae on your team.

[Nuntius]

I think that Atlanta's outlook is actually pretty decent. I like their young guys. They are athletic and look like they can fit next to Trae's heliocentric offense. They need to develop, yes, but things are not dire at all.

[tsherkin]

If JJ, Risacher, and Dyson keep improving, it makes no sense to trade Trae. They're very complementary players. I'd look to get a proper big (size wise) instead of Okongwu, though. You need a big guy patrolling in the back if you have Trae on your team.

They need Capela to back in his 2021 form. Healthy, catching lobs, playing good defense, etc. Hell, even 2024 form would be a boost. And they need a real scorer next to Trae, not some trash like Dejounte Murray.

Risacher in the second half was pretty solid, and Dyson was quite solid. But they need scoring support, because Trae isn't the guy you want to hit up for high-volume scoring. He doesn't have the tools to do it reliably, particularly when the 3 isn't falling. Which is unsurprising, really, given his size and his lack of an ATG mid-range game like Chris Paul.

[Nuntius]

If JJ, Risacher, and Dyson keep improving, it makes no sense to trade Trae. They're very complementary players. I'd look to get a proper big (size wise) instead of Okongwu, though. You need a big guy patrolling in the back if you have Trae on your team.

They need Capela to back in his 2021 form. Healthy, catching lobs, playing good defense, etc. Hell, even 2024 form would be a boost. And they need a real scorer next to Trae, not some trash like Dejounte Murray.

Risacher in the second half was pretty solid, and Dyson was quite solid. But they need scoring support, because Trae isn't the guy you want to hit up for high-volume scoring. He doesn't have the tools to do it reliably, particularly when the 3 isn't falling. Which is unsurprising, really, given his size and his lack of an ATG mid-range game like Chris Paul.

Capela is toast as high level starter, imo. He can help off the bench but OO is their starter now and he needs to keep developing.

I do agree about the offensive help, though. I'm biased, of course, but they need to follow Indiana's blueprint. Trae is a gifted playmaker so surround him with play finishers.

[tsherkin]

If JJ, Risacher, and Dyson keep improving, it makes no sense to trade Trae. They're very complementary players. I'd look to get a proper big (size wise) instead of Okongwu, though. You need a big guy patrolling in the back if you have Trae on your team.

They need Capela to back in his 2021 form. Healthy, catching lobs, playing good defense, etc. Hell, even 2024 form would be a boost. And they need a real scorer next to Trae, not some trash like Dejounte Murray.

Risacher in the second half was pretty solid, and Dyson was quite solid. But they need scoring support, because Trae isn't the guy you want to hit up for high-volume scoring. He doesn't have the tools to do it reliably, particularly when the 3 isn't falling. Which is unsurprising, really, given his size and his lack of an ATG mid-range game like Chris Paul.

Capela is toast as high level starter, imo. He can help off the bench but OO is their starter now and he needs to keep developing.

Yeah, for sure. I was more speaking of the style of play than about Clint himself. He's like 30, he's clearly on the way down, but they need someone filling that particular role for them, among other things.

[Nuntius]

They need Capela to back in his 2021 form. Healthy, catching lobs, playing good defense, etc. Hell, even 2024 form would be a boost. And they need a real scorer next to Trae, not some trash like Dejounte Murray.

Risacher in the second half was pretty solid, and Dyson was quite solid. But they need scoring support, because Trae isn't the guy you want to hit up for high-volume scoring. He doesn't have the tools to do it reliably, particularly when the 3 isn't falling. Which is unsurprising, really, given his size and his lack of an ATG mid-range game like Chris Paul.

Capela is toast as high level starter, imo. He can help off the bench but OO is their starter now and he needs to keep developing.

Yeah, for sure. I was more speaking of the style of play than about Clint himself. He's like 30, he's clearly on the way down, but they need someone filling that particular role for them, among other things.

Yep. The hope is that Onyeka fills that role and hopefully surpasses it.

Sorry for the late edit on the reply , by the way.

[tsherkin]

I do agree about the offensive help, though. I'm biased, of course, but they need to follow Indiana's blueprint. Trae is a gifted playmaker so surround him with play finishers.

Yeah. But of course, they need their Siakam and other supporting scorers, right?

But yeah, the Hali role is probably a good one for Trae; he's a phenomenal playmaker, but he's overextended as a scorer.