Atlanta Hawks News: Hawks Rank Near the Bottom of ESPN's Future Power Rankings

Atlanta was ranked in the bottom half of the league in ESPN's Future Power Rankings

Each year, ESPN releases their future power rankings for NBA, a projection of which franchises are set up best in the next three seasons. Or in their own words: 

"What goes into our NBA Future Power Rankings point totals?

Here's how we did it.

We determined that the most important category is a team's current roster and the future potential of those players. That category accounts for more than 50% of each NBA team's overall Future Power Rating, the 0-100 score each team receives to determine its overall ranking.

At the same time, we looked at many other factors such as management, ownership, coaching, a team's spending habits, its cap situation, the reputation of the city and the franchise and what kind of draft picks we expect the team to have in the future

The Future Power Rankings are ESPN's projection of the on-court success expected for each team over the next three seasons: 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Consider this a convenient way to see the direction in which your favorite team is headed."

The Future Power Rankings consider five factors: Players, Management, Money, Market, and Draft. 

At the top of the NBA future power rankings were the Boston Celtics, followed by the defending champion Denver Nuggets followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies, and the Golden State Warriors rounded out the top five. Atlanta was missing from the top ten and you had to go down all the way to No. 20 to find Trae Young and Atlanta. 

Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young faces the Miami Heat / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta's highest category was market, where they ranked 13th in the NBA. They were 18th in players, tied for 22nd in management, 18th in money, and 20th in the draft. 

So who were the teams that the Hawks were ranked ahead of? 

21-30 included the Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte Hornets, and Washington Wizards. 

I think the Hawks might be a few spots to low on this list. Minnesota is ranked one spot ahead of them and they had a higher grade in management (Quality/stability of front office, ownership, coaching), which I think is a stretch. The Timberwolves front office pulled the trigger on the disastrous Rudy Gobert trade, something they are going to pay for for a long time. 

Where I will agree with the future power rankings is on money and draft. The Hawks are not going to be flush with cap room anytime soon and the Dejounte Murray trade did diminish some of the future assets that the Hawks have. 

I also think Jalen Johnson is in for a big breakout season and that is going to be a big upgrade for the roster in terms of players and getting Quin Snyder as a coach last season was huge. 

Atlanta faces the Philadelphia 76ers tonight in the final preseason contest for Atlanta. 

Viewing and Betting Information

Tip-off time: 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA

Where to Watch: NBA league Pass and NBA TV

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks are going to be slight underdogs on the road in Philly tonight, as they are currently 2.5 point underdogs according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook

Be sure to tune into AllHawks.com for the latest coverage from tonight's preseason finale.

Follow Jackson on Twitter: @jacksoncaudell

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