Atlanta Hawks Receive Zero Respect In Latest NBA GM Survey

The Hawks did not receive much recognition in the NBA GM survey that was rel

Oct 8, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) controls the ball against the Indiana Pacers during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The NBA GM survey was released this week and while it is not always the best judgment of the league, it is interesting to see how people in team's front offices view things around the league. In this year's survey, there was not a lot of love shown to the Atlanta Hawks.

The Hawks were not chosen to finish among the top seven in the Eastern Conference by the GM's around the league. That is not incredibly surprising considering the Hawks projected win total is only set at 36.5 right now, showing that sportsbooks are not expecting the Hawks to win many games. Last year, Orlando was not picked to finish amongst the top seven and they ended up being the No. 5 seed.

No Hawks player received a vote for NBA MVP or "If you were starting a franchise today and could sign any player in the NBA, who would it be?".

When it comes to "Which player forces opposing coaches to make the most adjustments?", I thought that Trae Young might pick up some votes there, but he in fact did not. Luka Doncic got the most votes in that category.

In the breakout player category, Jalen Johnson did not receive a vote, which I think is a mistake. Thunder forward Jalen Williams won that category and other players receiving votes included Dereck Lively II, Cam Thomas, Ausar Thompson, and Amen Thompson. I thought Johnson should have picked up more votes, but as he showed in the first preseason game on Tuesday, he is in for a huge season.

Trae Young did not receive any votes in the best point guard category. This was another category that Doncic won. Young has been one of the best playmakers and shot creators in the league for a few years now, but with a big season, he can remind people what type of point guard he is.

With the question "What was the most surprising move of the offseason?", the Hawks drafting Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 pick finished 5th, with 7% of the votes. I would be interested to see if this was higher before the recent move from Minnesota to trade Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks, which took first place. While it is just one preseason game, Risacher was imrpessive in his debut.

Risacher did not receive any votes to win Rookie of the Year, which is kinda shocking considering he was the No. 1 overall pick. Rockets guard Reed Sheppard was picked to win the award, with Zach Edey, Stephon Castle, Ron Holland, and Alex Sarr receiving votes.

While he did not receive any votes for rookie of the year, Risacher did finish in third place in "Which rookie will be the best player in five years?". Risacher got 13% of the vote in another category that was won by Sheppard.

One category that I want to check back in on next year is best perimeter defender because I think that Dyson Daniels is going to make a case for that this season. He has not played enough to warrant considereration for best in the NBA just yet, but that could change.

Quin Sndyer did not receive any votes in any of the coaching categories.