The Atlanta Hawks begin their season on the road Wednesday night in Orlando, and they’ll walk into a matchup that already carries some early-East weight. The Magic and Hawks are expected to be fighting for a top-six spot in the Eastern Conference, and the rivalry has been heated over the last couple of seasons.
Atlanta’s rise late last year gave this group real momentum. The Hawks went 20-6 after the All-Star Break, stayed out of the play-in tournament for the first time since 2021, and became the only playoff team to beat the New York Knicks multiple times in a series.
That success could have pushed the front office into an aggressive win-now move, but Atlanta took a different path. Rather than chasing a splashy roster shakeup, the Hawks stayed patient, put their emphasis on development, brought back important pieces from last season, drafted three rookies, and added Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins in trades to deepen the rotation.
The bet here is that the Hawks are better off for it. The starting five finished last season playing like one of the league’s strongest units, even if some of that stretch came against tanking teams. The added depth helps, and Atlanta still looks capable of making another run at a playoff spot without making a dramatic swing.
There are still some real concerns. Rim protection remains shaky, and the frontcourt depth doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. But the Hawks have a case for a bigger year anyway, with Jalen Johnson expected to deliver another All-NBA type of season and the perimeter defense projected to be among the NBA’s best.
The result: a modest step forward, one more win than last season, and another year outside the play-in picture.
Final Prediction: 47-35, 6th in the Eastern Conference
Not everyone is quite as bullish. Another projection has Atlanta at 46-36 and the 7th seed in the East.
That outlook sees the Hawks as a young team with some useful experience in a conference loaded with veteran talent, but still vulnerable because of the same roster issues that showed up last season. Youth and size are flagged as problems that opponents can attack.
Even so, that view still has Atlanta leaning on last year’s playoff reps to survive the Play-In Tournament and get back into the postseason.
In Other News...
Hawks Face A Roster Squeeze If This Big Man Hits The Market
Moussa Cisses name is starting to circulate as the Mavericks weigh their roster ahead of the October 19 deadline, and that has put a handful of teams on alert. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Bulls, Hawks, Lakers and 76ers are among the clubs keeping an eye on the big man if Dallas decides to waive him, with the appeal centered on a low-risk chance to add size before the season fully gets going.
For Atlanta, the interest is easy to understand. The Hawks are always looking for help in the frontcourt, and a player like Cisse would at least give them another option to evaluate if he becomes available. The wrinkle is fit and timing, since a roster move would have to be made first, and Atlantas own big-man picture has already been affected by Henri Veesars offseason ACL injury, which could factor into whether Cisse eventually has a realistic path to minutes if the opportunity opens. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Face A Costly Onyeka Okongwu Decision This Week
Onyeka Okongwu enters his seventh NBA season with an important issue hanging over the Hawks front office, and it comes with a deadline attached. Atlanta has to decide whether to lock in its young center with a contract extension now or hold off and let the season play out, a choice that puts his value, his role and the teams long-term cap planning under the same microscope.
For the Hawks, this is more than a routine roster conversation. Okongwu has developed into a key part of their frontcourt picture, but the organization still has to balance his strengths and weaknesses against the financial flexibility it wants to preserve for the rest of the roster. The decision could shape not just what he costs, but how Atlanta manages its future payroll as this core continues to take form. [Read more 🡒]
Kingston Flemings Is Putting Real Pressure On Atlanta's Starting Five
Kingston Flemings has done more than just look comfortable in summer league and preseason, he has given Atlanta something to think about. His playmaking has stood out, and the clean way he has handled the ball has only added to the sense that he belongs in the conversation around the Hawks rotation as the season gets closer.
The bigger question is how far that momentum can carry once the games count. There is already speculation that Flemings could work his way into the starting lineup if his regular-season play keeps matching what he has shown so far, which would force a tougher decision on the guard group and open the door to a very different role for an established veteran. For now, it is just pressure, but it is the kind that can change a depth chart quickly. [Read more 🡒]