After a long, winding road, the Atlanta Hawks have finally found a direction

The Atlanta Hawks had one shot to change their trajectory: the NBA Draft Lottery on May 12.

Hawks brass knew this would be the last time in a while when it could have control of its future, in large part because of a June 2022 trade that sent Dejounte Murray from San Antonio to the Hawks for a bunch of picks, including Atlanta’s 2025 first-round selection.

So when the pingpong balls landed in the Hawks’ favor earlier this spring and brought them the top overall pick in 2024, it represented both a beginning and a temporary farewell to choosing their own destiny.

Zaccharie Risacher was the choice, and only time will tell if that was the right call. Granted, the 2024 draft class was never that highly regarded, but if Risacher tops out as a 10-year rotation player that might actually be just fine.

But the finality of the draft meant something else. Something potentially freeing and exciting.

With Atlanta knowing it had no control of its 2025 selection, the Hawks entered the 2024-25 season with no incentive to lose, regardless of how good the likes of Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey project to be. The Hawks were free to focus entirely on winning. Now the front office won’t make panicked deadline deals to worsen the team in a chase for better offseason lottery odds.

Trae Young is in a good spot now with Jalen Johnson, who has a skill set that complements Young’s game. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

Instead, the Hawks can get down to business and attempt to make a legitimate push toward the playoffs and a possible return to the Eastern Conference finals, which they made in 2021.

The streamlined thinking between front office, coaching staff and players might also be what the doctor ordered for the relationship between the organization and All-Star Trae Young. While there’s never been any real animosity between the two parties, Young has found his name in trade rumors for about three seasons. However you slice it, that’s not a way to strengthen the bond between player and franchise.

Having a full season to put the noise aside and focus on the actual games should give both sides a better idea of whether they want the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/after-a-long-winding-road-the-atlanta-hawks-have-finally-found-a-direction-161535101.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-11-08 16:15:00

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