5 reasons why Atlanta Hawks won’t make NBA playoffs
The Atlanta Hawks have made it to the NBA postseason in each of the last three seasons. But considering how the competition in the Eastern Conference has become fierce of late, a “blip” in their campaign here and there could cause them a fourth playoff appearance in a row.
Here are five reasons why the Hawks won’t make playoffs for the upcoming NBA season
#1 Injuries to the team’s key cogs
A blip in the form of injuries to the Hawks’ important pieces could spell disaster to their push in the regular season and for a playoff spot.
Atlanta is not one of the deepest teams in the league right now and if one or two of its key players get hurt and have to be sidelined for a considerable time, the team may not have it to fight it out at a high level consistently.
This is more so if it would involve the Hawks’ top guns Trae Young (26.2 ppg and 10.2 apg) and Dejounte Murray (20.5 ppg and 6.1 apg). Missing the services of one or two of them would weigh a lot on Atlanta’s campaign, which could be enough for them to miss the playoffs.
#2 Young-Murray tandem does not develop further
It goes without saying that how far the backcourt of Young and Murray goes, so go the Hawks.
The two guards played well enough last season but the team did not really perform as expected when it acquired the services of All-Star Murray prior to the start of the 2022-23 season.
It ended the regular season on the fringes of the playoff picture and needed to go through the play-in tournament just to solidify its playoff spot.
This season, more is going to be expected from Young and Murray in terms of feeding off each other’s game while also bringing out the best from the rest of the team. Just revisiting their performance last season, or worse, dipping several notches from it, put them at risk of missing the playoff bus.
#3 Poor power forward play
The Hawks tried to make a move to bring All-Star power forward Pascal Siakam this offseason from the Toronto Raptors but were not successful in completing a deal.
Missing out on Siakam, coupled with John Collins moving to the Utah Jazz, leaves the power forward play at Atlanta a suspect.
Collins did not have the kind of seasons he had previously last year but was still workable for 13.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and a block in 71 games.
The team still has Saddiq Bey, Onyeka Okongwu, Bruno Fernando and Clint Capela to perhaps hold the fort at the four spot. But in the event they do not deliver, it could have some not-so-good playoff implications for the team.
#4 Defense does not hold up … again
Defense, or lack thereof, could come into play in Atlanta’s playoff hopes in the upcoming season. Last time around, on offense, the team was fine, but defense left much to be desired.
The Hawks had a lot of issues on defense, allowing the second most points in the paint and ranking in the bottom third in the league in transition defense and second-chance points, among others.
Losing Collins makes it even more challenging now. Capela can still provide rebounding and shot-blocking, but the team would need more if it is to vie and secure a playoff spot.
#5 Another off-court issue
A harmonious environment to work in could help any team achieve success, especially the Hawks, which had to go through some issues that to led to former coach Nate McMillan being sacked midway into last season’s campaign.
After leading the team to a huge turnaround in 2021, where he helped the Hawks reach the Eastern Conference finals, McMillan exhausted his welcome in Atlanta after falling short of expectations and disagreements with players, notably Young.
The team, still coached by Quin Snyder, just has to hope that a repeat of such does not happen, lest it find making the playoffs even harder.