The Eastern Conference feels crowded in a way it hasn’t in a long time, and that’s exactly why Atlanta is getting a harder look heading into training camp. There are as many as 10 teams, maybe 12, fighting for the top eight spots, which means two East teams are going to wind up disappointed when the dust settles.
That raises the obvious question: could the Hawks be one of the teams that sneaks into the mix? Plenty of skeptics will point to last season’s 20-6 finish and call it schedule-driven, noting that Atlanta benefited from a run of tanking opponents before the Knicks knocked them out in the first round. The Hawks are trying to answer that criticism with a stronger season and a real push against the best teams in a conference that looks stacked from top to bottom.
At least early on, Atlanta looks like a team that should land in the top six in the East. The margin is razor thin, though, and there’s a case to be made for teams as low as Orlando, which sits 17th, to climb all the way into the top six or even the top four and grab home-court advantage.
So why put the Hawks ahead of teams like the Magic, Heat, Cavaliers, and Pistons?
Because even without a flashy offseason headline, Atlanta got better. The Hawks already had one of the league’s best starting lineups last season, and they brought back CJ McCollum on a one-year deal. On paper, Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Kingston Flemings, and Jock Landale give this roster more depth and more talent.
The identity is pretty clear: defense and physicality. Dort fits that mold, and the Hawks reinforced that direction when they drafted Zuby Ejiofor in the first round. A defensive group featuring Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Dort is going to make life miserable for opponents every night.
Atlanta is also counting on development from Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, Daniels, Alexander-Walker, and Flemings, while trusting the new arrivals to round out the roster and make it more balanced.
There are still questions. Rim protection and interior defense remain concerns, and the halfcourt offense wasn’t useful in the playoffs. But the Hawks do bring talent, continuity, and depth into the season.
The teams around them all come with their own issues. Miami added Giannis, but health questions still hang over him, and there are doubts about whether the roster around him is really built the right way.
Orlando didn’t change its roster and is banking on a new head coach to move the needle. Cleveland looked like the East’s biggest paper tiger in the playoffs and has lost depth this offseason.
Detroit lost Tobias Harris, remains in a standoff with Jalen Duren, and had some of its biggest flaws exposed in the playoffs.
Atlanta still has to get real growth from its core and impact from the new pieces. If that happens, the Hawks have a real chance to be one of the sneaky teams in the Eastern Conference.
In Other News...
Asa Newell Suddenly Has A Real Shot To Change Atlanta's Rotation
Asa Newell arrived as the Hawks 2025 first-round pick with the usual draft-night buzz, but the path to minutes in Atlanta has opened faster than expected. Between injuries and a few changes around the frontcourt, the rookie forward suddenly looks like more than a developmental name on the end of the bench. For a team that has been trying to sort out its rotation depth, Newells shooting ability gives him a chance to matter early if he can translate it quickly to NBA pace.
The larger question now is where he fits once the season gets rolling, because the Hawks frontcourt picture has created room for someone to seize. Analysts have already started circling Newell as a breakout candidate, and it is easy to see why: the profile is there, the opportunity is there, and Atlanta does not have a lot of obvious answers waiting in reserve. The only real mystery is how big that role becomes once the rotation tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Quietly Turned A Risky Gabe Vincent Deal Into Real Value
When Atlanta sent Luke Kennard to the Lakers at the February trade deadline for Gabe Vincent and a second-round pick, it looked like the kind of deal that carried some obvious risk. Vincent never became a long-term fit for the Hawks, and he did not return on a new contract, but Atlanta still came out of the move with a draft asset and a useful transaction route that added flexibility around the roster.
Vincent is now sitting on the open market with training camp drawing closer, a reminder that the Hawks did not need to force a commitment to make the trade matter. Kennard has since moved on to Phoenix after his stint in Los Angeles, while Atlanta quietly turned a midseason swing into something more practical than it first appeared. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Face One Big Test After Their Quiet Offseason
The Hawks took a measured approach to the offseason, choosing stability over splash and betting that veteran presence plus a few championship-tested additions can help carry over last seasons momentum. Rather than chase the biggest names, Atlanta kept its core intact and turned its attention to the parts of the roster that need sharpening, especially interior defense and the continued development of younger pieces who can grow into bigger roles.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels sit near the center of that conversation, even if the biggest question is how much more offense they can supply as the season unfolds. Atlanta does not need a wholesale overhaul to stay competitive, but it does need those two to keep expanding their games while the teams quiet summer choices are judged against the standard of what comes next. [Read more 🡒]