Given the introduction of a new generation of players focused on three-pint shooting and a faster, more offensive approach to the game, the NBA introduced an in-season tournament to the league known as the NBA Cup. For the Atlanta Hawks, this is a massive opportunity to prove to the league that they can compete with the upper echelon of teams in the NBA.
The NBA Cup is a midseason tournament that incorporates regular season NBA games into a “knockout” style tournament. Within this tournament, teams are divided into groups, with these groups based on previous records and conference. This highly anticipated in-season tournament concludes in Las Vegas, NV, where a winner will be declared in the championship game.
For the Hawks, this tournament can help revitalize their stature in the NBA, and change the trajectory of their franchise. Since their Eastern Conference Final run back in June 2021, the Hawks have faced a number of setbacks. These include inconsistencies on the defensive side of the ball, a variety of injuries across the team and falling short in the playoffs when winning matters most.
Taking a deep dive into the team’s offensive power on the roster, Atlanta has a plethora of young talent that cannot go unnoticed, despite the team’s recent shortcomings. To start, Trae Young, a former NBA All Star, leads the team in both points per game with 21.8 and assists per game with 12.5. Young is complemented by a young star in Jalen Johnson, who has turned himself from his G-League beginnings into a force to be reckoned with. The third year power forward leads the team in both rebounds per game and blocks per game with 10.3 and 1.1, respectively.
Despite the immense talent the team possesses, specifically on the offensive side of the ball, their hopes of reaching the Finals of the NBA Cup will not be easy. They will have to compete with juggernauts such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, and more. However, there is reason for optimism, as the Hawks bested the Boston Celtics in a 117-116 thriller on November 12th, putting the NBA on notice and increasing their NBA Cup odds. They also beat the Cavaliers on the 27th in a game that few expected them to take.
Despite their triumphs against the Celtics and Cavaliers, the Hawks are off to a middling 7-11start, with the majority of their wins coming against opponents with a record less than .500. At the current moment, they are at 11th in the Eastern Conference, which would not be good enough to earn a playoff spot if the season ended today. Granted, the Milwaukee Bucks hold the sixth seed in the conference with an 8-9 record. There is certainly time for the Hawks to go on a run and take hold of a fringe playoff spot. However, one could argue that this is the Hawks worst nightmare. The team has been stuck in this same spot for three straight seasons and are looking to escape the middle part of the Eastern Conference.
While it is worth noting that the team has remained consistent in these past few years regarding a high power, consistent offense, the same cannot be said for the defense. In the past two seasons, the Hawks ranked 17th in the 2022-2023 season, and 21st in the 2023-2024 season, respectively. While these are fairly average rankings, the overall talent on defense has been far better this year.
As stated before, Johnson leads the team with 1.2 blocks per game, an impressive stat for a player just in their third year of NBA competition. To pair with Johnson’s deterrence around the rim, one of the Hawks’ newcomers is making a name for himself as arguably the NBA’s best perimeter defender. Dyson Daniels, a former first round draft choice that Atlanta traded for this summer, leads the team in steals with an NBA-best 3.1 steals per game. Not only are these two individual statistics impressive in isolation, but these players give Hawks fans hope for the future. Both of these defensive standouts are under the age of 23 and have plenty of development left in their NBA careers..
Looking forward to the Hawks upcoming NBA Cup schedule, they are set to face their toughest test yet, as they’ll go against the NBA’s juggernaut, the Cleveland Cavaliers (17-2) tonight. The Cavaliers have only lost one game this season due to a plethora of talent in players such as Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and others. However, Atlanta found a way to pull out a shocking 135-124 win over the Cavaliers on November 27th. Young had a staggering 22 assists and Johnson collected 22 points of his own to hand the Cavaliers their second loss of the year.
Simply put, the Hawks can lose to anyone just as easily as they can beat anyone. They will have to face a variety of tough opponents this year to make a run in the NBA Cup and have aspirations to make a deep run in the NBA Cup this year. That should be a fair expectation given their talent both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Even if this year’s Cup doesn’t pan out how they hope it will, there is no denying that fans should still be optimistic for the team’s future. The potential that Atlanta’s young talent has shown provides evidence for a future where the Hawks are solidified playoff contenders in an unpredictable Eastern Conference.