How Close Is The Hawks Young Core To Contending? ESPN Analyst Suggests Atlanta Needs Another "High-Level Star"

Atlanta has a talented young core with Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, and Jalen Johnson, but will that be enough to contend for the big prizes in the league?

Mar 18, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) handles the ball defended by Charlotte Hornets guard Damion Baugh (7) during second quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

This was always going to be a transitional year for the Atlanta Hawks when it comes to finding out about the talent on their roster and how it fit together. After moving on from Dejounte Murray and winning the Draft Lottery, Atlanta had young players such as Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu around star guard Trae Young, but there was skepticism around how good this team would be.

Atlanta was one of the early surprises this season, getting to the NBA Cup Semifinals, and was as high as 5th in the Eastern Conference. Daniels immediately showed he could be one of the most disruptive defenders in the NBA, Risacher took some time to find his footing but has been shooting the ball well over the past couple of months and playing good defense, Okongwu has played well as the starting center since being moved into the lineup, and Johnson was on an All-Star trajectory until his season-ending injury. There is a lot to like about how the Hawks's young core has performed, but what is the long-term trajectory? Will this new core be enough for the Hawks to be better than a play-in team in the Eastern Conference? ESPN NBA analyst Tim Bontemps was discussing the Hawks rebuild and how it stacked up with the others in the NBA and here is what he had to say about where Atlanta is:

The strategy: "When Atlanta traded for Dejounte Murray in 2022, it gave up rights to three consecutive drafts to San Antonio and set up the franchise for the situation it finds itself in now: stuck in the middle with no real path to escape until those obligations expire in 2027. As a result, the Hawks are trying to add young talent to refresh the roster while still trying to win as many games as possible. Atlanta took a step in that direction by making a shrewd trade with New Orleans to get NBA steals leader Dyson Daniels, who is a likely first-team All-Defense selection, as well as two future first-round picks in exchange for dealing Murray to the Pelicans this past July. Between Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson and last year's No. 1 overall pick, Zaccharie Risacher -- plus potentially two first-round picks in the middle of this year's draft -- the Hawks have a foundation to build on moving forward."

Is it working? "The Hawks have stockpiled young talent and will get a few more bites at the apple in the draft. But it's going to take time for this team to be positioned to truly take a step forward. Questions remain about Trae Young's future, as well. The All-Star point guard can become a free agent in 2026."

Estimated return to relevance: "Given the competition around them, the Hawks should expect to remain in the hunt for a playoff spot the next couple of seasons. The path to competing for home-court advantage in the East, however, is harder to see without landing another high-level star."

This is a very fair assessment of the Hawks' situation right now. This is a nice core to build around and seems like the perfect pieces to have around Trae Young and his skill set, but how good will it be?

Do the Hawks need to try to make another swing for an established star or do they hope that with Johnson back, they will continue to ascend? Daniels has not only been an elite defender, but he is improving in all facets of offense, Risacher should see a bump in year two, and both Okongwu and Johnson could still potentially see leaps as well. It seems plausible that Atlanta continues to add pieces through the draft to this core and hope for internal improvement next season instead of chasing a star.

Additional Links

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