Last season’s Hawks won’t be this season’s Hawks. Things changed over the offseason. Via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Overall, the Hawks added nine new faces as they revamped their roster this offseason with an eye on winning now, as opposed to gathering assets and rebuilding for the future as they’ve done in recent years. Some of the most notable additions include a handful of experienced veterans (Danilo Gallinari, Rajon Rondo, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kris Dunn, Tony Snell, Solomon Hill) who will be expected to contribute from the get-go, but also share what they’ve learned with the Hawks’ young core of players, most of which is still quite young.
Some of that may be X’s and O’s-related, some of that may be more intangible.
Immediately, though, many returning players have noticed an increased amount of team communication, which is a good sign on a team that often struggled to talk enough on the court last season. Some of that came simply from having quieter players on the roster, and some of it was because the Hawks had several rookies and young players getting heavy playing time while still learning the NBA.
The Hawks finished 20-47 in the coronavirus-shortened 2019-20 NBA season. Trae Young put up 29.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game, but there weren’t a lot of bright spots in Atlanta beyond those numbers. But now, on paper, a squad is emerging.
