A classic among classics, the Global Franchise Preview is ready for the customer du jour. Client named Atlanta by his first name and Hawks by his last name. After a rather unsuccessful 2021-22 season, the Hawks want to reposition themselves in the East. With the arrival of Dejounte Murray to support Trae Young, it is rather credible.
What happened last season
After a 2020-21 season that ended in the Eastern Conference final, lost 4-2 to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks, we believed in this Hawks team. The hour of the advent for Trae Young, and why not go as far or even more the following year. Oops, completely missed. Atlanta mightn’t do better than ninth place and a first-round elimination, as Trae Young became the first player to lead in points and assists in a regular season in 50 years and Tiny Archiblad. A team which was not really one and which relied too much on its young star. De’Andre Hunter’s long injury didn’t help, and disillusionment came very quickly for the Hawks.
A few highlights have nevertheless brightened up this season in Atlanta, but they are also symptomatic of this depth problem. We are of course thinking of the extraterrestrial performance of Trae Young once morest the Blazers: 56 points and 14 assists, for a well-deserved victory. Oh no, the Hawks still lost that game. In fact, the highs of this season are due only to him: a big victory on the floor of the Suns in the regular season with 43 points in the key, another during the play-in once morest Cleveland with 38 points and 9 assists , but not enough to really dream higher.
The summer market
- They leave : Danilo Gallinari, Kevin Huerter, Kevin Knox, Delon Wright, Gorgui Dieng, Maurice Harkless
- They arrive : Dejounte Murray, A.J. Griffin, Jock Landale, Justin Holiday, Aaron Holiday, Frank Kaminsky, Tyrese Martin, Vit Krejci
The major cleaning was done in Atlanta this summer, to seek bench depth. Two big contracts have left their place: Danilo Gallinari and Kevin Huerter, 35 million per year between them, and that makes money to bring people in and rebuild a workforce that is short of breath. And especially to bring a player capable of supporting Trae Young in scoring: Dejounte Murray. His 20 points per game will do the greatest good to a team that relied on a single player to attack, not to mention his dozens of other skills of course. Behind, several extra players have completed the roster, at all positions.
The Hawks 2022-23 roster
- Leaders : Trae YoungAaron Holiday, Trent Forrest, Vit Krejci
- Rears : Dejounte MurrayBogdan Bogdanović, Justin Holiday, A.J. Griffin, Jarrett Culver
- Wingers : De’Andre HunterJalen Johnson
- Power forwards : John CollinsMr. Okongwu
- Pivots : Clint CapelaFrank Kaminsky
In orange the expected starters, according to the famous sources close to the file
The Hawks roster is a story of age. The starting five is in the image and name of its star, very young : 25.6 years of average age, it is little for the holders of a team which aims for a run of Playoffs. Behind, the second unit is the opposite: 28.5 years on average, for substitutes who nevertheless count in their rank Onyeka Okongwu, 22 years old. The experience that can make the difference in supervising young people and bringing them back down to earth when they need it, and which can also be part of the closing five, when passion can sometimes be a detriment. Finally, the complementary players are all very young: Jalen Johnson, AJ Griffin, Trent Forrest… Some are under 20, and are there to scratch what they can and develop as they can. A balanced roster, at least on this point. It remains to be seen how this will be organized on the floor.
A little video by the way?
Atlanta Hawks 2022-23 salaries
TTFL: Hawks players to watch
Trae Young is the assurance of a quiet evening for those who have chosen him. Whether it’s passing or shooting, that’s stats and more stats. Every year we say it, every year we repeat it, there are not many people behind him, except for a stroke of madness. But this year, the deal may be different, thanks to the bet signed Travis Schlenk: Dejounte Murray. 21 points and 9 assists under Gregg Popovich last season can be a big TTFL point. Small mention for Clint Capela and his 25 rebound matches, which are still a little too rare to be recommended. But if you feel up to it, why not?
Infirmary, update on Hawks players
When we look at the Atlanta infirmary, four names stand out. Clint Capela, to begin with, had two alerts. He missed six games in January for a left ankle sprain and the first three Playoff games for a right knee hyperextension. Limited by pain for the last two meetings, the summer rest will have done him good. Dejounte Murray injured his right wrist on November 8 once morest the Warriors. He tried to come back following one game but eventually had to go to the block for a torn tendon. John Collins suffered a right foot injury in late February, he missed seven games before returning for four games and eventually missing the final sixteen games of the regular season following being diagnosed with a torn plantar fascia in his right foot and a sprained right ring finger. He received an injection of PRP (platelet-rich plasma) in his foot to accelerate healing and returned for the Playoffs. Finally, Bogdan Bogdanovic had his first absence at the end of November with a sprained right ankle. From January, he also suffered from an inflammation of the right knee, missed five games that month, then one in March and the last match of the Playoffs. He was operated on the patellar tendon at the end of May (certainly a debridement) but is still not 100%.
What goals for the Hawks?
Find the top of the Eastern Conference. It’s as simple as that for the Atlanta Hawks. Last season should be seen as an accident, more so than the previous one. So that doesn’t mean it will be all rosy from the start, but why not aim high? In any case, the Trae Young / Dejounte Murray association is programmed for that, and must develop from the start of the season. To find a spot in the Playoffs guaranteed without going through the play-in, and to get closer to what was done in 2021. The one who can make all this work is perhaps John Collins. Arrived a year before Trae Young in Atlanta, he is a solid and regular starter who attacks and defends correctly, without shining too much very often. But he does the job, and will be the third offensive option on this team. An important role he will share with De’Andre Hunter when Trae Young is on the bench or in an evening without.
Beyond the results, the Hawks have a lot of things to improve on. In attack, as we said, the arrival of Dejounte Murray will allow Trae Young to win the matches in which he scores 50 points. It will change him. In defense, too, this arrival will be essential. That of the Hawks was one of the worst in the League last season, and the problems came mainly from the perimeter. In this sector, Trae Young himself must progress enormously, despite his small size, if he wants to win and be considered one of the best players in the NBA. An exterior defense at least average will allow interiors not to find themselves overwhelmed by opposing attacks.
Finally, the franchise will want to develop its young people as much as possible, while trying to win. Not easy, with two rookies in the workforce, to give everyone a chance without reducing their chances of victory. But some teams are capable of it, and Nate McMillan must be able to trust players like Jalen Johnson, AJ Griffin or even Tyrese Martin.
The Editor’s Prognosis
47 wins – 35 losses: 5th place in the East
Come on, we forget last season and we start on a correct basis. 47 wins is a goal largely achievable with a roster of this quality. We might aim higher, but the editor believes that the mayonnaise will take time to take, and that a few too many defeats will be garnered fairly early in the season. Then, we will imagine a first round of Playoffs won once morest seed 4. After that, all hopes will be allowed.
Some useful links
So much for the Hawks preview for this NBA 2022-23 season. A season that we hope is better than the last, and we will click anyway to see Trae Young break a few ankles and we will carefully follow his duet with Dejounte Murray.