RealGM

2021-22 NBA midseason grades

Atlanta Hawks: D

The Hawks have been one of the most disappointing teams in the league over the first half of the season. After advancing all the way to the Eastern Conference finals last season, the Hawks currently sit 12th in the conference, and completely outside of the playoff picture. It's never a good sign when the general manager is publicly questioning a team's roster construction, as Travis Schlenk did recently. In turn, changes could be coming for the Hawks. The good news for Atlanta is that there's still time to turn its season around and climb up the standings in the East after a forgettable first half of the season.

Atlanta Hawks 17-25, -1.3 net rating

First-quarter Grade: B- | Ranked 9th

Halfway-point Grade: D- | Ranked 21st

This season has been so bad that the Atlanta Hawks’ general manager openly questioned if it was correct to bring everybody back from last season’s team. That was a team that made the conference finals, and they ended up being a Trae Young turned ankle away from a Finals appearance. Sure, it would have been a complete fluke, but that’s a wild change from what we see so far this season. The Hawks are abysmal on defense, and they probably are poising themselves for a big trade prior to the deadline. Maybe that’s Ben Simmons? Maybe it’s someone else. Regardless, this team needs a dramatic change halfway through the season for the second straight year.