Atlanta Hawks 2020 Season Previews

[Jamaaliver]

NBA Preview: Five Guys to Watch on the Hawks, If That’s Your Bag

The yacht rock of Trae Young, the dance moves of Vince Carter, and the Book of Kevin Huerter. There’s a lot to love in Atlanta this season

Trae Young, Point Guard

Great shooters can be the most exciting players to watch when their confidence is high and they’re running hot. The moment Young crosses half court he’s a problem. Plays with great paces. Mixes up speeds well. He is accurate passing off the bounce with his right or his left hand. He’s my favorite ball handler to watch.

Spoiler:

John Collins, Forward

More than a dunker. He can hit a 3. He can drive a closeout. Generally makes decent enough decisions when he catches it out of a roll. As two-footed jumpers go, he’s like dancing with a buzz on. One of his listed nicknames on Basketball-Reference is The Baptist. He keeps his head, though, takes off the other guys’. Had a one-handed oop against Charlotte last year that had Atlanta’s play-by-play man so stoked he combined the words “back to him” into one all-encompassing (and I will spell it like he said it) “backTOHIM.” Imagine someone wearing spaceships as shoes. If the launch pad’s clean enough he’ll chip a tooth on Mars.

Kevin Huerter, Guard

Otherwise known as Chest Stockwell. “Nobody could tell him anything and he spent his days flipping off the skies and being worshiped.” That’s how I would start his biography, The Nuclear Fire Hydrant. Cleanliness is next to Godliness is next to Huerterness. A charming kind of lobster, Ole Red plays with a smoothness and grace heretofore reserved for swans. Going into the draft, scouts had nothing to compare him to so they just went with the Rocky Mountains. This is a basketball player after your own heart. I aim that sentiment at every person in the world. When times are tough, seek out the Huerter. When you feel like you can’t go on, seek out the Huerter. When the load gets heavy and you feel that sick hum under everything and you can’t feel good no matter what you do, seek out the Huerter. Olympic flame status. Lit at all times. Burning at all times. Raining orange on the heads of the damned.

Watch on YouTube

DeAndre’ Bembry, Guard/Forward

DeAndre’ Bembry. He’s got style. He’s got grace. He’s a winner. Oh, whoa, whoa. He’s a winner. “Whoa” is a word I don’t like but it’s the word Tom sang and I just can’t see myself disrespecting him like that. There’s something funky about Bembry. Herky and jerky. Thanks, but he will play at his speed. Buried Marvin Bagley III in the sand. Left hand to God.

Watch on YouTube

Vince Carter, Guard/Forward

One of the great artists of the 21st century. The King of Daytona Beach. Much like a Brian Fantana story: compelling and rich. When he was younger he fountained highlights like a dadgum monsoon. I went back and watched his slam dunk contest again the other day. I was in the sixth grade then. My memory of the event was that it was a massive moment in mine and the world’s respective histories. A cultural high point that stood toe to toe with The Matrix in terms of pure, straight entertainment. I watched the broadcast with some friends. When Carter landed after his first dunk—that reverse 360 windmill—we all stood up and acted like we were dying.

The Ringer

[jayu70]

NBA Preview: Five Guys to Watch on the Hawks, If That’s Your Bag

The yacht rock of Trae Young, the dance moves of Vince Carter, and the Book of Kevin Huerter. There’s a lot to love in Atlanta this season



Trae Young, Point Guard


Great shooters can be the most exciting players to watch when their confidence is high and they’re running hot. The moment Young crosses half court he’s a problem. Plays with great paces. Mixes up speeds well. He is accurate passing off the bounce with his right or his left hand. He’s my favorite ball handler to watch.

The Ringer

2020???

[Jamaaliver]

2020???

i...THINK SO.

We're about to begin the 2019-2020 NBA Season, right?

[Jamaaliver]

Read on Twitter

The Atlanta Hawks will be fun again, but I question whether they will win more games than they did last year. They lost some important veterans and will be relying on younger players to attempt to lift their win totals. Young teams can win, but Reddish and Hunter have so much that they need to add to their games. The Hawks were more competitive than people expected last year. They started the season almost the universal pick to find themselves with the worst record in the NBA, but they were surprisingly good. This year, their win total should drop, but it does give them a chance to stock the team with more young players in a very loaded draft class. They’re very well-coached, but I feel Dedmon’s loss in the double drag will be felt as he was an elite big man shooter and a very passable defender.

Whatever happens, this team will be fun because of its core three, who are growing and all ready to contribute at a good level. But everyone else around them will be growing, which is why I don’t quite think the jump in wins is coming yet.

[jayu70]

2020???

i...THINK SO.

We're about to begin the 2019-2020NBA Season, right?

It's the start of the 2019/20 season....2020 implies the start of next season.
Just like the 'Too early look at 2020 draft class' is about next year.

[Jamaaliver]

^no

Toronto Raptors are the 2019 NBA Champs. The battle for the 2020 championship begins in October.

The 2020 draft occurs after the 2020 season. The draft order is even determined by records in the 2020 season. This ain't a new concept.

We've been doing this for years.

2019 Season Previews
2017 Season Previews

[Jamaaliver]

Previewing the Atlanta Hawks’ 2019-20 NBA season



The Atlanta Hawks are quietly one of the league’s most intriguing teams as training camp quickly approaches. Here’s a breakdown of where Trae Young and company stand heading into the 2019-20 NBA season, one that could be the start of Atlanta’s rise up the Eastern Conference.

The Hawks have as much young talent as any team in the Eastern Conference, and optimists believe the league at large. The problem for the Hawks, and it’s a relative one, is that no other player on the roster realistically projects to reach Young’s potential level of All-NBA impact. John Collins is one of the league’s most explosive athletes with a burgeoning set of overall skills and rapidly developing 3-point range, but would likely be overstretched as a primary scoring option and is stuck between positions defensively. Few outside Atlanta paid proper attention to Kevin Huerter’s rookie campaign, one in which he flashed rare prowess as a shooter – spotting up, sprinting around screens, and even off the dribble. He’s a better athlete than advertised coming out of Maryland, but short arms limit his defensive versatility and ability to finish around the rim. Every other young player for the Hawks is a question mark.

Expectations
Atlanta finished with the league’s fifth-worst record last season, an outcome incongruent with optimism surrounding the team throughout the offseason. The Hawks have tip-toed around a goal of making the playoffs, and analysts and fans across the basketball world are pondering whether they’re indeed ready to make that leap.

Of course, Atlanta’s final place in the East’s pecking order will come with the caveat of substandard in-conference competition, for better or worse. Either way, the Hawks expect to be better than they were last season – and league followers do, too.

Clutch Points

[jayu70]

We're in 2019

[jayu70]

^no

Toronto Raptors are the 2019 NBA Champs. The battle for the 2020 championship begins in October.

The 2020 draft occurs after the 2020 season. The draft order is even determined by records in the 2020 season. This ain't a new concept.

We've been doing this for years.

2019 Season Previews
2017 Season Previews

You mean YOU'VE been doing it that way. Funny how ALL the publication list the current year starting season and not ONLY when the season concludes. Funny how you didn't do it here:
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1877484

[Jamaaliver]

You mean YOU'VE been doing it that way.

Yes. I've been posting a thread for season previews in this place for years using the exact same format.

But today it's an issue?

[Jamaaliver]

The Youth Movement Is Real, And Exciting, With The Atlanta Hawks



Much like last season, the Hawks will be better than most expect them to be. If you thought the Hawks were going to win 29 games last season, STOP LYING! This team will linger around the playoff picture until the All-Star Break, but will get another lottery pick, enabling them to remain flexible.

While the Hawks might have been on the wrong side of the Luka Doncic/Trae Young trade, let’s not sleep on the fact that Young played very, very well last season. This trade isn’t going to be as lopsided as we [initially] thought.

The plan for Atlanta wasn’t to make the playoffs. It was to figure out who fit and who didn’t fit as the Hawks look to the future. There’s certainly a nice base with Young, John Collins and MY GUY Kevin Huerter.

A reminder: The Hawks have Brooklyn’s pick (lottery protected) for giving them the cap flexibility to sign Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving this offseason. If the Hawks wanted to try to trade into the top-five for the second-straight season, it’s completely possible.

NBA.com

[jayu70]

You mean YOU'VE been doing it that way.

Yes. I've been posting a thread for season previews in this place for years using the exact same format.

But today it's an issue?

[Jamaaliver]

Scouting the Enemy: Atlanta Hawks

One fresh start. One graceful exit

Vince Carter will spend his twenty-second - that is, 22nd - pause for emphasis - twenty-second season in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks. No other player has played twenty-two seasons. While Grizzlies fans should feel lucky they were able to benefit from his presence for a little while, Hawks fans should be ecstatic to make history with him on their roster.

With one season behind him, Trae Young will continue to be held to high standards. Young set the bar high for himself by finishing his rookie year. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, in analyzing his rookie season, discusses the good, veteran company Young keeps in terms of assists - “Young was fourth overall in assists in the league trailing only Russell Westbrook, Kyle Lowry and Chris Paul.” I’d say that’s pretty good company to keep with just one year under his belt.

Kevin Huerter will have an opportunity to continue his positive momentum into his second season, presumed to be the starting shooting guard for the Hawks. Plagued by injury early last season, John Collins is poised to hit the ground running as a likely starter for the Hawks come October. Fans should also look forward to the return of Alex Len who showcased a lot of versatility as a Center, attempting 204 three-pointers last season.

While the Hawks and Grizzlies are not in the same conference, they are each engaging in a rebuild by compiling as many young, talented players as possible and leaning heavily on the more seasoned players to anchor a positive culture through the growing pains. With three players beginning their careers, Parsons looking for redemption and Carter wrapping his career up in a bow, the Atlanta Hawks will have plenty of things to watch in the coming season - cue up that League Pass.

Memphis SB Nation

[Jamaaliver]

Atlanta Hawks 2019-20 NBA Season Preview

The Atlanta Hawks may be the surprise team in the Eastern Conference with a solid offseason and steady improvement from the current roster, but did they do enough to be in the postseason discussion? Basketball Insiders takes a look at the Hawks in this 2019-20 NBA Season Preview

The Hawks — along with the Pelicans — are the most interesting team in the NBA – to me at least. They had a great second-half of 2018-19 and should see fairly substantial gains given their youth. Trae Young lived up to all of the hype he generated two years ago at Oklahoma and he will continue to dazzle this season. The rest of their starting lineup is incredibly well-rounded and – on paper – fits together almost perfectly. The additions of De’Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish and Bruno Fernando add significant young talent, while Evan Turner, Alex Len and Jabari Parker add more skilled veterans to the roster. And, of course, the return of Vince Carter guarantees a savvy veteran presence. The Hawks have almost too much depth.

They will continue to struggle as they grow into themselves and learn how to win at the highest of levels. But we should see considerable improvement on the 29 wins they posted in 2018-19. The main challenge for head coach Lloyd Pierce will be managing minutes and keeping his roster happy with playing time, along with the growing expectations.

Spoiler:

The Hawks are the lone team in the NBA with any real cap room, at roughly $7 million (before signing Vince Carter as rumored). Look for Atlanta to shop that cap room in a trade before the season begins, possibly to take on more unwanted salary along with draft considerations as compensation. If not, Atlanta may take that space all the way to the trade deadline.

The team can sign DeAndre’ Bembry and Damian Jones to contract extensions before the start of the season. The team will undoubtedly take the team options on Trae Young, John Collins and Kevin Huerter before November. Looking forward to next summer, the Hawks could have up to $80 million in spending power to add to their emerging core.

Top Offensive Player: Trae Young
Top Playmaker: Trae Young
Top Clutch Player: John Collins
Top Defensive Player: De’Andre Hunter
Best New Addition: De’Andre Hunter
The Unheralded Player: Kevin Huerter


THE BURNING QUESTION
Can the Atlanta Hawks make the playoffs in 2019-20?

Well, probably not.

Still, even being in the hypothetical conversation is worth some points on merit alone. Thanks to some savvy front office transactions, promising up-and-comers and a modern, practical NBA offense, the Hawks are closer to that goal than ever. Even if they don’t end up in a final Eastern Conference playoff spot, reaching the ninth or tenth slot on the ladder would be a welcomed improvement. Bye-bye to the cellar, most certainly, if that’s an adequate consolation prize too.

They’ll remain exciting. Young will continue to get terrifyingly-hot and unrelentingly cold. Collins will keep reaching for rim-rattling stardom and Huerter will be the glue that makes the whole train rolling on — regardless, as of now, it’s a major ask for extra springtime games. Give Reddish, Fernando and Hunter a year to fully find their footing, let Young chop those turnover numbers in half and give Collins the freedom to do whatever he wants — then the race for the postseason will truly be on.

Ultimately, the defense will doom far too many of the Hawks’ strong offensive performances to make this question any more than wishful thinking in September. But there’s nothing that we all love more than a good story and Atlanta owns the makings of one. Come the All-Star break, or maybe even earlier, it’ll be easy to tell if the Hawks are on the cusp of breaking through or if some patience needs to be afforded.

Either way, transforming a cellar-dweller doesn’t happen overnight — however, it’s never been more obvious that the Hawks are on the right path back.

Basketball Insiders

[graymule]

Trae Young / Luka Doncic trade. Who made out better. Many writers continue to compare the two and ask, "Who was better?"
Luka won rookie of the year before the all star break. Well, OK. In my opinion, each one was a better fit with the team that
they are on.

Most writers seem to easily forget and sweep the thought away - - "That's not all there is to the trade. Hawks also received this
year's #10 draft pick. Cam Reddish. Will he be any good? Or, did the Hawks waste this pick?" Wait and see. We don't know.
We believe he will be very good and a fine fit with the Hawks.

Two for one changes things around a lot. Writers can fuss and fight over who is best, Trae or Luka. It's that close. When we add
Cam Reddish as the equalizer I expect Atlanta to be the big winner !!

[Jamaaliver]

NBA Power Rankings

23. Atlanta Hawks

Biggest Adds: De'Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish, Evan Turner, Allen Crabbe, Jabari Parker

Worst Losses: Dewayne Dedmon, Taurean Prince, Kent Bazemore

Looking for a surprise team to surge into the Eastern Conference playoffs? This is it.

Following a miserable 6-23 start to the 2018-19 season, the Hawks finished a respectable 23-30 behind Trae Young's 19.1-point, 8.1-assist rookie campaign. Power forward John Collins averaged 20.3 points and 10.3 rebounds after the All-Star break, while 6"7" shooting guard Kevin Huerter drilled 39.7 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes.

Mix in a pair of lottery picks, a versatile forward in Turner and some scoring off the bench with Parker, and this could be a sneaky seventh or eighth seed in the East.

Bleacher Report

[Jamaaliver]

Atlanta Hawks flying in right direction with Trae Young and John Collins



The young Atlanta Hawks, led by Trae Young, John Collins and lottery picks De'Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish, are flying in the right direction. It isn't often that a team loses 53 games and hears applause, but such was the case with the rebuilding Hawks, who took meaningful steps into the future with a young core and opened the curtain slightly to reveal a promising vision.

It's a small sample size, given that he only arrived in town just three summers ago, yet is there any question the Hawks' leadership under general manager Travis Schlenk is sound? Schlenk, plucked from the Warriors' front office to run the Hawks, has yet to make a costly mistake or set the club back.

In a best-case scenario, then, the young core, still on rookie deals, will flourish and the Hawks will use their cap space next summer on veterans who can push the club into playoff contention. Or they can use that ample space to swing a trade for an A-list star who qualifies as a disgruntled asset...

Essentially, the Hawks used this offseason to position themselves for the next step forward. With a revamped team, a dazzling point guard who could sell tickets in an updated arena, the Hawks are giving the basketball fans of Atlanta fewer reasons to root for the visitors (something the city did quite regularly in years past).

Sky Sports

[Jamaaliver]

Probably the first tme I've ever fully agreed with R Hollins...

Read on Twitter

[Jamaaliver]

Atlanta Hawks enter 2019-20 looking to build on young core

For the Atlanta Hawks, 2019-20 is another season to advance the young core they have assembled and build for what could be a very bright future

No player personified the growth of the Hawks as last season progressed more than rookie guard Trae Young, who lit up like a holiday display after the All-Star break.

It was Young’s development as the season progressed that has many observers bullish about the future of the Hawks, who have a treasure trove of young assets to build from.

John Collins is entering his third season as a pogo stick of a power forward who gets after it on the glass and is improving his shooting range. Kevin Huerter showed flashes of being an evolutionary version of the constantly in motion 2 guard.

Now Atlanta adds a pair of top-10 picks in No. 4 overall selection De’Andre Hunter and 10th overall pick Cam Reddish. [Will there be] growing pains? Yes, there will be some. But as evidenced by their solid finish to last season, there is a lot of potential for Atlanta to get well quickly from the painful rebuilding process.

Best-case scenario

Trae Young continues to play much more like post-All-Star-break Trae Young while becoming more dependable with both the ball and his shot selection and the rest of the young core assembled by the Atlanta Hawks takes a significant step forward.

The Hawks at least flirt with playoff contention before settling for a solid improvement over last season’s 29-win total by getting into the mid- to upper 30s in the victory column.


Worst-case scenario

Too many shooters, not enough basketball.

The development of the Atlanta Hawks is stunted a bit by players beginning to grumble about the ball-dominance of Trae Young and their relative lack of touches.

Much like in 2018-19, the Hawks can’t stop anyone and lose a ton of games that are played in the 120s while struggling to match their 29-53 record from a season ago.


Predictions

The Atlanta Hawks stick around in the playoff discussion before eventually falling short while going 34-48, a decent improvement of five victories while positioning themselves to be a player in a 2020 free agency class that will lack the star power of this summer’s group, but could contain key pieces that could push Atlanta to the next level.

Hoops Habit

[Jamaaliver]

Miami Heat scouting the enemy: The Atlanta Hawks

Coming off a 29-53 season in 2018-19, the Hawks may find themselves in a similar spot next season after adding a number of youngsters to the roster. While Trae Young will be going into his second season and may develop significantly with a year under his belt in the NBA, he will be surrounded with rookies and young players and role players, which very little in the way of star power to help propel them to competitiveness.

The Hawks will likely not win enough games to pull them into playoff contention, but they’re going to be a fun team to watch every night. They’re explosive on offense, they have one of the most fascinating young cores in the NBA with John Collins, Reddish, Hunter and Young, and a good season for this group could truly springboard them into further success down the road.

Proven star power and veteran talent are two big advantages the Miami Heat will hold over the Hawks next season. While the Hawks have the flashy Young, the Heat have a veteran team with playoff experience led by Jimmy Butler.

Miami Heat Fansided