Atlanta Hawks 2023-2024 Season Preview and Predictions
It is time for another season of Atlanta Hawks Basketball.
Since making the Eastern Conference Finals two seasons ago, the Hawks have been undergoing major changes. The team traded for Dejounte Murray, fired Nate McMillan during the season, and quickly hired Quin Snyder to replace him. The Hawks also acquired Saddiq Bey at the trade deadline. This offseason, the Hawks finally put an end to the John Collins trade saga when they sent Collins to the Utah Jazz in a salary dump. That was the only major move the Hawks made this offseason and Atlanta is going to be banking on continuity with Snyder as the head coach and growth from players such as Jalen Johnson, AJ Griffin, and Onyeka Okongwu to get them to where they want to be.
Record: 47-35 (4th in the Eastern Conference)
MVP: Trae Young
PPG leader: Trae Young
RPG leader: Clint Capela
APG leader: Trae Young
SPG leader: Dejounte Murray
BPG Leader: Clint Capela
Breakout Player: Jalen Johnson
The Hawks are not getting a lot of love from the national media and seem to be the forgotten team. Aside from ESPN's Zach Lowe, nobody is giving the Hawks much of a chance to finish near the top of the Eastern Conference.
I think that is a mistake.
The biggest reason that I am optimistic about this team is the fact that Snyder has had a full offseason to work with the team and I think Snyder and his offensive philosophy is going to fit well with Young, who is going to likely be shooting more three-point attempts instead of mid-range shots and Young talked about that this week:
"If you look at my percentages every year, they have gotten better and not in points per game or assists per game necessarily but my percentages, except last year. For me, it is just getting back to what I do and shooting the ball with confidence. I was taking more mid-range shots last year and I was really focused on that, that was a big focus of mine but after seeing what CP did and taking his team to the finals and all. This summer it was focusing a lot more on getting back to shooting threes and getting back to myself. I think we'll jump my percentages up and all that and I am not really focused on that. I know I am going to be a lot better than I was last year and that is saying a lot. I am just trying to do that."
I think Young is in for an All-NBA type of season and could even lead the league in assists. I am expecting the fit between him and Murray to look better this year as well.
As I hinted at earlier, I think this season and how good the Hawks can be is going to come down to growth from several players. De'Andre Hunter has shown flashes of being a good two-way player, but the consistency has not been there, he is another player that could see a bump from being coached by Snyder. Bey was a good addition at the trade deadline and I think he fits in with the team's identity well.
The Hawks may have two candidates for the sixth man of the year. Onyeka Okongwu and Bogdan Bogdanovic will be two of the Hawks's most important players. Okongwu is going to make an impact on both ends of the floor, while Bogdanovic has a chance to put up really good shooting numbers and might even handle the ball in cases when Murray and Young are off the floor.
One element that Okongwu showed in the preseason, especially in last night's loss to the 76ers, is that he might be willing to shoot three-pointers this season, which I think is something that Hawks fans have been wanting to see. I don't think Okongwu is going to become a stretch five overnight, but his ability to knock down outside shots is going to open up this offense even more.
The player that I am most excited for this season is Jalen Johnson, who should be getting more love to be a most improved player of the year candidate.
Hawks fans have recognized what Johnson could bring to this team, but not many in the national media are pegging him to be a breakout candidate around the league.
Johnson showed during the preseason that he can be one of the better perimeter defenders on the Hawks and he also flashed his playmaking capability. In the victory against the Pelicans, Johnson led the Hawks in assists with seven and displayed a great ability to run the floor in transition. I still think that he is likely to come off the bench to start the season with Saddiq Bey getting the start at the four, but Johnson is going to push for major minutes and be a sneaky most improved player of the year candidate in the NBA this season.
I am not expecting a lot from this year's first-round pick Kobe Buffkin, but he could see some opportunities as the year goes on. I think he has a bright future, but I don't a lot is going to be asked of him as a rookie.
This is going to be an exciting season in Atlanta and I think this team has a chance to prove a lot of people wrong. They have to do it on the court though and that starts tonight in Charlotte.
Be sure to tune into AllHawks.com for the latest coverage
Follow Jackson on Twitter: @jacksoncaudell
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